PENANG, HOME SWEET HOME, MALAYSIA

Penang is one of the tourist spots in Malaysia. Known to some as the Pearl of the Orient, she is famous for culinary delights, architecture from a previous past era, low cost of living and for her people.

Penangites - they are very warm people. A total stranger will strike up conversation with you and if you know the common tongue here, Hokkien, you’re practically family. Don’t be surprised if the Indian newspaper vendor speaks to you in fluent Hokkien; yes it is that widespread. Most of those in their 40’s and above are fluent in perfect English as well, hinting at the past-colonial effects the British had on the island one time long ago.

Apart from being really good at making you feel at home, the people of Penang are also very generous with what little they have.

I was born in Penang but I grew up in Sabah as my dad was posted there. We go back to Penang regularly to visit my grandparents. I still remember an incident that happened in one of those trips. I was 11, 12 at most.

My dad and I were at a hawker centre. We were taking breakfast when I accidentally knocked my glass of orange juice all over the table and all over the floor next to me. Dad was mumbling about how clumsy I was and asking one of the workers there to pass a rag over so he can mop up the table. He was also profusely apologizing to the workers there since now they have more to do. And who needs more work?

Two minutes later, the worker came back with another glass of orange juice, on the house. Strangely, Dad was not surprised but he was smuggishly pleased. Me, I am just flabbergasted.

You see, in Penang hawker stalls, the ‘waiters’ pay for the drinks first, then bring the drinks to you and you pay them. That way, if they were to make a mistake in the orders and if the customer refuses the ‘wrong’ drink, the waiter basically can’t get his money back, the drinks centre also does not make any losses from the waiters’ mistakes. For this reason, my father always takes the drink even if it wasn’t the one he ordered. And he does this outside of Penang too.

But I digressed.

Back to me being flabbergasted, the second orange juice came out of the worker’s pocket (ok, so maybe on the house wasn’t quite right). The kind man didn’t ask for payment from my dad. I felt relieved, guilty and quite touched by this generosity by a total stranger. He didn’t stay for me to thank him either as he has other orders to take.

That happened close to 15 years ago.

A few years later I was posted back there to attend university. I remember a day when I was waiting at a traffic light. I was on the furthest right lane and there was a car to my left, and a motorcycle to the left of the car. We were all waiting for the lights to turn green.

It was a slow intersection.

The Indian guy on the motorcycle had a bunch of rambutans. He was peeling and eating them. Right before my eyes, he turned and offered some to the Malay guy in the car next to him and threw a bunch into his passenger seat as the car window was opened.

The guy in that car in turn, turned towards my car and signalled me, offering me some rambutans. I am not a fan of this hairy red fruit and politely declined, smiling and appreciating in the warmth of their generosity. He smiled back and did that ‘oh well, more for me’ shrug.

Both men were seen gorging down the sweet-tasting flesh of this local fruit. The lights turned green and we went off in our own directions to our own separate destinations.
This happened close to 7 years ago.

This is how it was, and is in Penang. We share the roads like the way we share our foods. Our smiles and generosity are contagious and after all is said and done, we go about our separate ways and do our thang.

If there is any place in Malaysia that any tourist can visit to get a flavour of what 1Malaysia is, it would be the island of Penang.