FoodPunk Visits Penang, Malaysia

 

 

 

 

 

 



Well what can I say about Penang? The last time I visited my family was way back in 2005 and before that in 97 and 98, so to finally see and spend some time with them was not only exciting but emotional at the same time.

Penang has gone through a massive change over the years especially around where my family are based in George Town. When I travelled to Penang for the first time, I vaguely remember the area being slightly run down and even though the place didn't have a lot of money, there was a tight, positive community spirit.

Fast forward nearly twenty years, George Town has not only gone through a radical change but there's a lot more money within the area. This is  because the government has given the area a massive makeover renovating most of the houses and turning it into boutique hotels, coffee shops and bars. It was great to see George Town thrive due to tourism but it's somewhat lost that community feel. Unfortunately the families that lived in the area for generations are no longer around but luckily for my family, they were able to buy back the house where my Dad and the rest of his siblings grew up, keeping the Teng foundations firmly in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penang itself is a tiny island but there is so much to do, places to visit and a vast number of areas to eat. I was very lucky to have my family take time out for the six day that I was there and even more so for Alex as it was his first time visiting the island.

 

I could go on for days about the food. Locals live and breathe food all day long. Its an exciting part of the day because family and friends all get together, eat a extortionate amount of food and talk about their day and reflect on things. Everyone is so close and seeing my family all get together made me realise how lucky I am to have one. I feel that back here in the U.K. we take our families for granted. We don't seem to get together as often as we should. I know we all have different lifestyles and the culture is totally different here but it's a shame that back in the U.K when we do get together it's for big occasions only.

But anyways back to the food and what a place it is for it too. With so much choice, I was eating non stop until the day I departed. If I wasn't drinking, I was eating and even when I didn't have an appetite I was still eating all of the dishes I remembered when I was younger. From eating curries for breakfast, to eating the best chicken rice, Dim Sum and freshly caught grilled fish in town, I ate my body weight in food. Penang has a ridiculous amount of  hawker stalls with every street corner filled with them, cooking up different styles of dishes. Not only do the Teng's like to eat out on a regular basis but they're great at cooking too with my aunties cooking up a storm at home and my uncle serving up amazing lobster at the luxury hotel he works at.

 

 

FoodPunkers, below are the videos and pictures of the food that I ate during my time in Penang.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned earlier Penang has changed dramatically over the years. A number of shopping complex's dominate certain areas, there are new houses being built on a regular basis especially as you head out further from the town and  along the coast and beaches, the views are nothing short of spectacular.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The people of Penang, including my family are very proud of their cultures, traditions and religions. I didn't see one bit of animosity between the Malays and the Chinese. During my time, I went to visit many temples learning about Buddhism from my families side and  I even saw a popular lion dance competition that my younger cousin organised. The competition was based around a simple format but to execute it was extremely difficult. Forget Strictly Come Dancing, the teamwork and trust within the respective teams was unreal. Teenagers dedicating themselves to the art of lion dancing was impressive and I totally respect the effort and the skill that went into it.

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My time in  Penang was obviously an unforgettable one. To spend time with them after many years apart meant a lot for me and being a lot older now made me realise how lucky I am to have a family that treated me with so much love, care and hospitality. I am so impressed how far Penang has come and there is no way it will take me eleven years again to come back again. I will definitely be back in 2017.

 

 

 









FoodPunk Visits Bangkok, Thailand

What's up FoodPunkers. Over the last month you will have undoubtedly noticed that I have inundated your social media timeline with endless amounts of photos and videos of my time in South East Asia. What an incredible journey it has been, a mix bag of emotions and of course memories that will be with me for the rest of my life.

 

The photos and videos that I posted represents just one side of my epic adventure and really has shown you a snippet of what this incredible continent is truly about. But there is so much more that I have to tell you about, stories that I want to share with you all and for what it meant to me on a personal level. So without further a do, here is my story around Asia starting with Bangkok, Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People tell all sorts of stories about Thailand, the stunning islands, full moon parties and of course the capital city. And Bangkok is where I started my adventure. If you've seen the Hangover 2 (which im certain everyone has) its pretty much like that but hopefully you won't be missing a friend, getting into trouble with gangsters or "accidently" sleep with a lady boy but Bangkok being what it is, who knows right?. Thankfully none of the above happened to me.

 

It's true, this place is a massive, crazy, hectic bubble. As soon as I touched down, I immediately got sucked into the madness of it all. It wasn't an easy city to settle into and by that I mean I had fun but by the end of my time here I was drained. The best way to describe Bangkok is this- The good, the bad and the ugly.

 

The Good

 

 Obviously the food is going to be the top of my list. We all know about street food and Bangkok had some amazing stalls. My advice, go for the ones that will do just a few options because the ones that do, do it well. There are a load of bars and restaurants and I found them cheap and cheerful and only good for buying alcohol. I felt the ones that did food weren't really giving a true representation of what Thai food is all about. They were there catering for the backpackers and holiday makers that wanted a safe option. I found that around the borders of Kao San Road, there were a number of really good stalls serving up some of the very best pork, duck and chicken around. Whenever I had food, I always had to have a bowl of birds eye chillies on the side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Of course like anywhere in the world there are going to be some foods to avoid. There are a number of tourist traps and for me it's all about the creepy crawlies on sticks. There are a number of sellers walking around offering deep fried scorpions, spiders and what not and believe me you do not want to buy any of them. Not only did they look shite but I was warned that they were very old and been deep fried a number of times, so FoodPunkers if you're planning to go to Bangkok, avoid those shitty tourist traps. It's not going to make you look cool and its definitely not going to taste good.

 

During the day before Bangkok turns into party central there are a number of activities to do. A personal favourite of mine was visiting the floating markets and travelling around the city on a boat going through canals and seeing how the locals live on the edge of town. I did get roped into    spending more money than I needed to but it was inevitable. For example spending three hundred baht on a couple of cans of beer from a lady in a tiny ass boat was not a good deal for me but I suppose she had to make a living. I still had fun and it was nice to get away from the main hotspots of the city and moreover I had amazing pad thai, fresh prawns and got to see some stunning views of Bangkok.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only are the boat rides a good day out but so too is visiting the more cultural landmarks such as the main palace, the golden mount and various religious temples. A word of advice, if you want to go and check out the main grand palace wear trousers (not ripped ones like me). You wont be allowed entry otherwise.

The Golden Mount was a remarkable place and not only did I understand and learn more about Buddhism in Thailand but I also saw some remarkable views of the city's skyline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thailand is a pretty cheap place to go to which is obviously great because you can spend, spend and spend and for one night, I was able to go to the best part of the city and do just that. Si Lom is what I call the modern, rich part of the city where the high rollers spend their time. Having cocktails on the rooftop of a five star hotel and witnessing Bangkok in all its glory at night was breath taking and not only that it was a chance to reflect about my time here.

If you're into cocktails, fine spirits and wines, I recommend a suave, smooth and funky joint called Maggie Choo's. It's like the cool, sophisticated cocktail bars you find in London such as Basement and Discount Suit Company. Visiting this place helped me to unwind and relax from the hustle and bustle of the city.

And there's no way I could not give a special mention to Hooters. I've never been to one, so to be taken there to drink amongst the girls was an experience for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a great time witnessing proper Thai boxing. Ringside seats were three thousand baht which is great if you want to get the best view but for me to get the ticket where I was close to the action with all the locals betting just added to the experience. Not only that witnessing nine fights with a few knockouts was entertaining on all levels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bad & The Ugly

 

Bangkok did have its bad moments and at times got very awkward. Traffic was bloody awful and traffic jams were rife, so if you're a confident map reader and have the courage to use the local train stations, use them. Tut Tut drivers are a friendly bunch but will try and push for a high price ride. When it came to the taxis, I learnt pretty quickly that I should only go in if they are prepared to turn the meter on. Whenever they did, I knew I was being charged a fair rate. Taxis that don't use their meter will charge any stupid price. Don't get mugged off. There's no shame in just getting out of the vehicle if they don't use the meter.

Getting hassled by local shop keepers was a tiresome thing because it's relentless. Everywhere I went, there were people trying to rope me into buying all sorts of stuff such as suits and cheap tat. Obviously they don't mean any harm and only trying to make a living but there's only so much I could take.

Bangkok turns into a totally different place at night and somewhat was uncomfortable. Seeing elderly, big, burly men hanging around seedy areas and putting their arms around young Thai women wasn't a pleasant sight.

 

 

Looking back, Bangkok was a great experience and I think everyone should visit to see themselves what the city has to offer. Spending five days was perhaps a tad too long for me but I think the average Joe spends only a few days to party hard before going to the islands.
Bangkok is rich in tradition and culture by day but at night the city becomes the place that everyone knows, tacky, seedy with non stop partying.