Saturday, 15th June 2024
The tropical lethargy that had settled over me after Ah Kok's char kway teow was abruptly shattered by Yit Peng's summons. The "entourage" – a term I used with a touch of weary amusement – was apparently raring to go. Rejoining them at The Prestige, I found a hungry restlessness in the air, the kind that only a good dim sum feed could quell.
Our target: Tho Yuen, a dim sum haven Yit Peng had planned. But George Town, that beguiling labyrinth, has a way of derailing even the most meticulous plans. Midway through our walk, Carmen, with a hawk-eye for culinary treasures, spotted a sign proclaiming "Ali Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang." Nasi lemak for breakfast? Unorthodox, certainly, but who were we to resist a local favorite?
What began as a "two-pack-share-and-move-on" mission morphed into a full-blown feast. Three packets of nasi lemak, fragrant with pandan leaves and coconut milk, found their way to our table, accompanied by a symphony of peanut pancakes, char siew pau, and steaming cups of coffee and iced barley. It was, without a doubt, a proper breakfast that wasn’t meant to be.
Bellies pleasantly distended, we ambled towards the iconic Penang Clock Tower. This wasn't just any clock tower, Google informed me, the database full of funny m historical knowledge. It was, in fact, the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, a monument standing sixty feet tall, one foot for each year of the British monarch's reign. War, however, had left its mark. A bomb, a relic of a bygone conflict, had caused the tower to lean slightly, a subtle tilt that spoke volumes about the city's resilience.
Yit Peng, ever the passionate storyteller, launched into a captivating narrative about the area. She talked about Oei Tiong Ham, his wives and daughters. We explored The House of Yeap Chor Ee, a testament to the immigrant spirit that built Penang, and wandered the Padang Kota Lama (Esplanade), the very spot where Captain Francis Light, the founder of George Town, had first set foot on the island.
By the time we finished our impromptu history lesson, the sun was high and the air thick with the scent of spices and roasting satay. Tho Yuen, our original dim sum destination, would have to wait, instead of breakfast, will likely be lunch. Penang, it seemed, had other plans for our itinerary, and we, with resigned smiles, were happy to follow its lead.
#wheeteck #wheetecktravelogue #penangoncemore
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