Penang – Tourists say the funniest things

Penang Hill is the highest point on the island. It is a few degrees cooler than the rest of the island so is a bit of a retreat from the humidity. Near the top there is an open area with some food and drink stalls. Here I stopped for some Nasi Goreng Ayam; the literal translation being rice fried chicken. Not surprisingly, although the facilities were basic, this far up the hill the price was a bit more than normal street food and cost a whole 4 ringitts.

It was surprisingly good and compared well with places in London such as Ekachai near Liverpool Street. The rice and chicken were well cooked and packed with flavour. (The last thing you want in a place like this is something slightly under-cooked). It was not very greasy and had good rice separation. There was one disappointment and that was the chilli. Rather than on the side they were mixed into the rice and were pretty weak. In Pop Idol terms they were Gareth Gates to Ekachai’s Will Young.

Whilst lunching there were stall owners looking to attract business by calling out “beer…soft drink….water”. There was one tourist (nationality to remain anonymous) who approached the 70 plus year old stall owner and asked if he had “an espresso with skimmed milk”. Well I guess the sign did also say ‘Coffee’. Needless to say the stall owner was not a barista in disguise, there was not an espresso machine tucked in the back of the stall, and the young tourist ended up with a coke instead.