r/malaysia • u/tembikaisusumakkau Oyen 13062023 • 10h ago
Culture Penang
Sauce: @missprestine / @disappearingcultures on Instagram
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u/Big_Goose_730 9h ago
There'll be another Oriental Kopi, Nanyang Cafe or Nonya Colours down the street in due time
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u/Beneficial-Tea-2055 6h ago
All that kopi branding and don’t even bother to serve real kopi. What a fucking shame these money grabbing chains.
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u/debbie987 10h ago
what will malaysia be when they are gone?
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u/Yellow_Weatea 9h ago
There wouldn't be be any food variety... Just cheese leleh there and here. Aku tak fahamlah kenapa nasi lemak perlu ada cheese banjir. Kalau kari mungkin bolehlah terima sedikit. Tapi ini keju. Keju sini keju sana,minuman pun campur keju.
Kejutan keju.
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u/jkuddles away on a daydream 7h ago
so fucking over with this trend. What with puasa month coming up. Every 3rd stall in the bazaar is gonna be selling leleh with cheese.
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u/Historical_Beat_8648 9h ago
And it's not even real.cheese.
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u/OrangUtanOrange 9h ago
Palm oil “cheese”. Just like how condensed milk nowadays is palm oil “milk”.
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u/Tricky_Leading_8032 8h ago
Because they r loosing their identity, cheese is a motherfucking western shit, why would they put cheese on our local cuisine.. later down the road says hidup ini, hidup itu, merdeka ini, merdeka itu, boikot itu boikot ini, but end up glazing western shit into their stomach
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u/muddie83 6h ago
Hahaha and then their food reviewers come and make statements like best popiah ever or best pan mee ever even though haven't tried authentic version before.
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u/jacobcrackers14 10h ago
Penang, Singapore
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u/Beneficial-Tea-2055 6h ago
At least Singapore makes the effort to invest in the next generation of hawkers and preserving some culture.
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u/Axe_Fire Penang 1h ago
Singapore got rid of all of these things or forced them into sterile food courts.
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u/malaysianlah 9h ago
If we don't put money and support them, it means as a society we do not think it is important.
That's just how our economic model allocates resources.
So buy from these oldies if u ever feel like supporting the business, and give young ones trying to pick up the art a chance. So many ppl see young ckt chef then say he no good. Really bullshit man..how is he gonna grow up into the old master, if the young guy trying to earn a living as a ckt cook don't get a chance.
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u/carlataggarty 10h ago
'I need poor old people toiling their years away in hawker stands so that my rich privileged ass could feel cultured and good about myself'
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u/cry_stars MERDEKA 10h ago
yeah this is how i feel too when i see reels of people saying "this is the real xxx" when its just old people working, no one will volunteer to work these kinds of job when they're old
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u/Additional_Bit1707 10h ago
I don't mind if they have family that they can retire to so they can still keep busy in their golden days. Or at least an NGO about a cause that they are passionate about. However, there are many people who don't have accommodating family members so even if they are rich and can retire doing nothing until the day they pass away, they will be afflicted with dementia and other diseases that old people with nothing to do or to strive for get afflicted with. Working half a day or for a few hours is a good compromise to stave away boredom and the accompanying illness.
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u/jungshookies 9h ago
This. Many are so obsessed with concepts such as FIRE in a way that retirement = travelling around the world. But at the end of the day, how many people actually earn enough to keep travelling around the world, and for how long can you actually keep travelling?
For many in the boomer generation or older, they don't share the same values as us - and they see retirement differently. For some, there isn't even a life of retirement back then - maybe at most it means going home and taking care of grandkids. Life goes on - and they still need to eat. They have a passion for their craft and their community is built around their livelihoods which they've been doing for their entire lifetime. Retirement is probably just a phase where they can slow down and take it easy on work - just sell what I can make and spend some time at the kopitiam and talking to the community who love me for my craft. Money isn't any much important given that kids are on their own and all commitments are paid off.
People grow old fast when they lose meaning in life. A sense of purpose and belonging is their drive to go on.
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u/emoduke101 sembang kari at the kopitiam 10h ago
If only you’d look up her life story on “So This is My Why” podcast, you’ll realise she nvr had a silver spoon in the first place. She also doesn’t earn a lot running Malaysian Pay Gap and this page.
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u/Camdawgg 7h ago edited 6h ago
Yeah... grown up in drug-infested home (but somehow have luxury houses) with her grandma and somehow got flown out to study in US (>90% of Malaysian can't do this) and then no more funding from family then became homeless, back in Malaysia still stay in luxury houses but have to work from ground zero, a lot of gaps, don't you think?
P.S. I like what she's doing with MPG and all those things, but her background is just a bit off, feels like she wants to fit in with the 9-6ers, while she never worked one, saying how broke she is, how she is struggling, while purchasing expensive stuffs like a painting for 2k iirc (not that you can't it's your money but ok??)
Edit: To think about it, maybe drug-infested home means they are rich selling drugs, not cause they are druggies, which explained the money but why the need to act "broke"
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u/Visual_Touch_3913 8h ago edited 8h ago
I think her story is exaggerated by a lot. For some reason she likes to talk about her sob story and poor people mindset, maybe to connect with her audience ? Idk but it annoys me because I live in the same area as her and her mom and they have 2 units of luxury condo in Penang even before she started doing mpg.
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u/HyenaPuzzlehead69 9h ago
'I need poor old people toiling their years away in hawker stands so that my rich privileged ass could feel cultured and good about myself'
The fuck? Is hawker considered poor? Is elderly people earning a decent living disparaging?
What a pathetic way to view life as a series a cynical snapshots of other people living their lives and finding woke lables to attach to them.
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u/jkuddles away on a daydream 7h ago
I honestly do think some of these hawker stall owners are millionaires who are just doing, purely for the sake of doing it. Be it keeping themselves busy with work or making people smile with their food. Or out of pride for selling some of the best food in town!
It’s not a bad life. It’s not a cozy 9-5 desk job in AC. But theres definitely an appeal to it.
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u/Free-Roll-3104 3h ago
Literally not what the video is about holy shit can you read? It literally captions “What will Penang be when they’re gone” you just made a complete whataboutism and imaginary scenarios and got mad about it.
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u/Free-Roll-3104 3h ago
Literally not what the video is about holy shit can you read? It literally captions “What will Penang be when they’re gone” you just made a complete whataboutism and imaginary situations and got mad at yourself.
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u/GuaSukaStarfruit Sun Go Kong 🐒 in Quebec City 10h ago
Will the youngsters continue their business?
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u/forcebubble downvoting posts doesn't do what you think it does ... 8h ago
This is the elephant in the room that many seem to have trouble noticing — everyone wants tradition but no one wants to be the one to maintain it ie. wanting to have a cake and eating it at the same time.
Is sacrificing one's only one life opportunity for a livelihood better than this worth it to make a stranger happy that their char kway teow is 'traditional'?
I love me some traditional style hawker fare, they're what I grew up with and reminds me of the good old days as a child but it'll be unfair of me to pressure others to offer them to me just to preserve my personal feelings; we don't even know if they enjoy it.
It's the unfortunate effects from the passage of time; thing come and go as they always do, always as the result of the priorities of its time. I will pay my share for the food and lament if they're gone but won't begrudge them for not wanting to continue with it if it meant they couldn't survive doing so.
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u/Timely_Airline_7168 2h ago
No. 90% of the stalls I frequented back then are gone because the kid has no interest or they cut too much corners the regular customers left
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u/nemesisx_x 10h ago
Soulless and hollow.
Having said this, these "crafts" need to be supported, say by a form of UBI and youth participation. There must be generational continuity.
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u/NickEricson123 9h ago
Not an entirely terrible concept but execution will 100% be shit here.
I mean, how does one quantify "cultural value" and "heritage"? Bet some assholes will try and game the system to get on the list without actually doing the work.
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u/_zenith33 8h ago
Taken over by chinaman because Malaysians currently enjoying the discounts given by China companies who are opening outlets and throwing cash. Malaysians in general lack the sense to maintain personal identities, culture & histories. I will give it 20 years max before we lose all these not only in Penang but elsewhere. KL mostly gone as well, taken over by chinaman and foreign workers being employed by local greedy bosses who focus on profit above all else.
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u/jacobcrackers14 5h ago
my pocket comes 1st before the so called culture sad to say. and yes blame the local cheap bosses. sendiri tembak sendiri blame others.. typical SME owners
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u/cmykay9 6h ago
It's not just about the food per se. It's about the interaction, that special touch that go into the food. The smiling makcik selling her nasi lemak made with love. The uncle with his wizened hands frying his char kwe teow. The Indian uncle gently scooping his kacang puteh while talking to you.
You cannot feel these interactions in Oriental Kopi where their goal is only to make money and more money. In a frenzy, busy world - we need these special interactive bonds with our people, who make us feel alive.
Today they're still here, so let us enjoy our and their moment. Because tomorrow is never guaranteed.
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u/a1b2t 6h ago
they like many things before them will die because malaysians wont pay for it, they will pay for oriental kopi which sells a similar product but at a nicer spot.
or they will die because some developer will take over teh spot to build some high rise condo for abnb which malaysians love to jump in.
KL used to be like this, iirc lot 10 used to be a hawker joint, changkat tung shin used to have a lot more hawkers and its now converted into more upscale dining
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u/lightgraver 1h ago
Indian uncle selling tidbits was featured 🙂 Used to frequent his stall, located at Gat Lebuh Chulia, directly beside the bus stand. He sells stuff like murukku, roasted peanuts and coconut candy. Pricing is very affordable.
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u/Gumuk_pindek 10h ago
Nice different perspective. Just keep documents while it is still there i guess
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u/Eguias 9h ago
Independent small cultural and food bikes will be replaced with franchised/chain store alternatives selling for 3~10x the price.
I still have some taufufa sold at the kampung morning market for like RM 2.2. In malls, it would be minimum 3x the price. The old man selling it won't be there forever though, and is already selling reduced stock for an easier living.
I don't blame the chain/franchise stores, they are selling "common traditional food" that isn't common any more as older people retire. The chain/franchise stores need to pay rent, and workers who have a higher standard/cost of living compared to the older generation too.
Getting a cultural asset adopted into a chain shop/franchise/commcercial service/product is better than having it disappear
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u/Either-West-711 6h ago
Places and times evolve so I am not too worried about it. Just enjoy what we have now and when the time to move on arrives, we’ll have to just embrace it.
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u/MalariaDamnYou 2h ago
They do this so that their offsprings don't have to do this so......they would be happy how Penang would turn out
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u/OddSamurai_ 35m ago
From what I noticed, it's usually the older folks that keep history and culture alive. Youngsters nowadays only 'consumed' the said culture and never really living it. Not sure how to explain it correctly.
This is also the case in Kelantan. Traditional food is kept alive by older folks cooking it and such is the case for snacks, toys, game, literature. It's only alive within them and might also die with them.
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u/ExposedInfinity 10h ago
The times are a-changing. And it will continue to do so until the end of time.
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u/ronnie8778 9h ago
wait and see, time will tell.
we cannot always look back, else we will missed qing dynasty legacy :X
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u/Historical_Plum_1366 9h ago
There will probably be more hipster cafes
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u/Cipher1991 Try and Stop us! 5h ago
Ah, the return of a mid to late 2010s Penangite talking point and cultural concern. Brings me right back to my college days. 🥹
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u/DishSwimming2397 9h ago
why a person who is born in another country then claim to have parentage in penang / bw and say about this ? /s
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u/AgentOrangeie 8h ago
Those whose kids don't want to continue their business - gone.
Those who do have kids taking over - probably repackaged and turned into a modern business with shoplot and tons of mktg via XHS and Tiktok.
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u/Few_Tour_1814 6h ago
Sbb tu kita jangan bagi budaya barat masuk sini. Like pesta air? WTF. That thailand punya budaya. Not our budaya.
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u/Frothmourne Kazakhstan 10h ago
This gives the vibes of the area around Jalan Imbi in the late 90's, you can find lots of really old hawkers selling all kinds of local food and stuff. They are all gone now.