Not Just Commodities: What Are Pop-Up Markets Actually Selling?
5 min read
“WAH, WHAT KIND of Muah Chee is this? So expensive one. You know you can get these for RM3 at…
Taiping Beyond The Lake Gardens
5 min read
Taiping is more than a tranquil town—it is a layered historical landscape. Today, efforts to reconnect heritage with community point to a new model: small towns as engines of sustainable, place-based development.
Growing Old In A System That Isn’t Forthcoming With Support
5 min read
Caring for elderly parents is labour-intensive, emotional, and mostly shouldered by women. Without systemic support, filial duty can become unsustainable, making professional care homes and innovative living arrangements essential.
Why I Still Cook When It Is So Easy Not To
11 min read
I often wonder why I subject myself to extensive labour when I could easily eat out. In Penang, food is everywhere—cheap, delicious, convenient, fast. Why spend hours chopping, stirring and cleaning when I could get a perfectly good meal for under RM10 outside?
The Southern Chinese Flavours that Built Penang’s Palate
6 min read
As a child, I spent a lot of time in this aunt’s house, and most of that time, in her kitchen. While my other aunts and cousins played mahjong in the background, I would sit at the kitchen table, annoying her with requests to help her cook.
Marking the End of Life: Rituals Across Malaysia
10 min read
Death may arrive suddenly, but it is never endured in isolation. What follows depends on your race, religion and family background.
Threads of Change: Weaving Waste Into Art
7 min read
Kelsey Merreck Wagner was trained in printmaking and ceramics. Since the very beginning, her art has been deeply tied to environmental concerns close to her heart. It wasn’t until 2017 that she decided she wanted to weave.
Taking Penang's Street Food Global
12 min read
The Michelin Guide started listing Penang food establishments in 2023. Since then, two Penang restaurants have been awarded one star, 32 are listed as Bib Gourmand Restaurants and another 35 as Michelin Selected.
A Personal Journey to Imbibe Offal, One Organ at a Time
5 min read
If I were to locate the exact point in time when I became serious about food, it would have to be upon reading Anthony Bourdain’s essay in The New Yorker, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This” and his later book, Kitchen Confidential.
Joachim Bergström: On Using Universal Values to Drive Diplomacy
12 min read
As his tenure comes to an end, Penang Monthly sits down with Joachim Bergström to talk about his team’s efforts in introducing these universal values to the country, and how these can strengthen the bilateral relationship between Sweden and Malaysia.
Penang’s Operatic Past: A Legacy of Passion and Dedication
6 min read
For a man of his accomplishments and social stature, Konishi is relatively low-profile; but his private residence in Taman Jesselton, an exquisite Italian villa-styled mansion called Villa Primavera, is widely admired and talked about.
Do Nothing and It Shall Be Done: Placemaking in Balik Pulau
6 min read
Jerry, the owner, co-founder and cook extraordinaire at Nada Natural Farming, believes in the dolce far niente—the sweetness of doing nothing. This philosophy has spilled over to the entire conception of Nada, from how it is run, to what it is meant to be.