📝Editor’s Bite
Hello from Penang 🌞
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to truly know a place—is it through its food, its people, its stories, or the fleeting little moments you stumble into?
This past month has been a whirlwind of flavours, festivals, and farewells—each one reminding me how vibrant and delicate this city can be. From heated debates about food authenticity to bittersweet goodbyes at old hawker stalls, from the buzz of cocktail shakers to quiet art-filled nights… it’s been emotional, inspiring, and strangely grounding.
Here’s what I’ve been chewing on lately:
What Does “Authentic Food” Even Mean?
Not long ago, I shared about a humble Nasi Ulam stall in Air Itam. Someone online commented that it wasn’t “authentic.”
I wasn’t offended (I’m not the one making it, after all), but that remark got me thinking. What even counts as “authentic” anymore?
Most of the dishes we proudly call local today have crossed oceans and centuries to become who they are. Char Koay Teow, Hokkien Mee, Nasi Kandar—they all have roots in other countries, yet evolved here to suit local palates. The Hainanese created chicken chop to cater to Western tastes. Even pizzas—sacred in Italy—are topped with pineapple halfway across the world.
And Nasi Ulam? It’s a blend of Malay and Chinese heritage, shaped by generations of Peranakan families.
So perhaps authenticity isn’t about staying frozen in time. Maybe it’s about how food grows with the people who love it.
“Authenticity isn’t about where a dish started — it’s about where it has grown to belong.”
🍲 A Farewell to Cintra Street Koay Teow Th’ng
“They say all good things must come to an end.”
The crowd savouring the Koay Teow Th’ng before it closes down
The broth is cooked with old hen
After decades of serving comfort in a bowl, the beloved Cintra Street Koay Teow Th’ng will be closing down soon. The second-generation owner has been battling health issues and decided it was time to rest and recover, unsure if or when the stall might reopen.
It’s a quiet reminder of how fragile hawker culture can be. Many of these stalls depend solely on the hands of their aging owners. If those hands must rest, the legacy pauses with them.
That’s why I treasure every stall, every plate, every hardworking soul behind them—because they’re not just selling food; they’re sharing lifetimes of effort, sacrifice, and pride.
The last day of their operation is on September 28, 2025.
Support your local hawkers while they’re still here — they are living heritage.
🍸 Penang Cocktail Week: More Than Just Drinks
Earlier this month, Penang stirred up something extraordinary—Penang Cocktail Week.
Started by Shen of Backdoor Bodega three years ago, this isn’t your typical party scene. Instead, bartenders from all over the world come together to share knowledge, experiment with flavours, and push creative boundaries. Local chefs collaborated on menus. Ideas were exchanged. Friendships were made over ice and bitters.
Aki Nakata doing his guest shift at Baobae during the Penang Cocktail Week
Chef Aaron & Bimmy from Fifty Tales collaborated with Rembar in Penang
It’s less about drinking, and more about connecting. And somehow, Penang—a tiny island—has found itself on the global cocktail map. Who would’ve thought?
A small island, shaking big ideas.
🕰 Hin Between Festival: Celebrating Time
And just as Cocktail Week wrapped up, the Hin Between Festival began—an entirely different kind of buzz.
One of the exhibition is on the works of Thum Chia Chieh who have photographed Hin Bus Depot since it was reopened as an arts and events space.
Hin Bus Depot marked its 10-year journey with a new festival themed around “Time.” Through art, performances, and installations, creatives explored what it means to honour our past, live in our present, and dream of our future.
I was lucky to be invited to the opening. Meeting the artists, listening to their stories—it reminded me that time isn’t just something we measure; it’s something we feel.
The Hin Between Festival begins from 12 until 21 September 2025. You can check for more details here.
Time is more than what we count — it’s what we carry with us.
🌇 Falling In Love With Penang Again
Food has been my doorway into countless cities, but nowhere have I explored more deeply than my own home.
Penang has fed me well—but it has also shown me its hidden corners, its layered stories, its resilient people. Somewhere along the way, I stopped just tasting dishes, and started falling in love with the city itself.
It made me wonder—maybe it’s time to tell more Penang stories beyond food. There are so many waiting to be shared. Perhaps… it’s time to create something just for that. Something to inspire us about Penang.
💌 Until Next Bite
Thank you for journeying through these moments with me. Penang is small, but it carries entire worlds within it—and I hope each Hungry Letter helps you see (and taste) it a little more vividly.
Until the next bite,
— Hungry Penang Lang
