November 2025

This November, Penang Monthly explores language, place and memory. As GTLF returns, we highlight Penang’s multilingual streets and the dialects that keep local history alive.

See Inside Read as Flipbook

Hello and welcome!

A publication of Penang Institute, Penang Monthly is the voice of Penang - an inspiring read for the curious Malaysian, featuring stories about the people, ideas, and issues shaping the state's well-being. Sign up for a free account to enjoy unlimited access to all our articles.

A Whiter Shade of Apricot

4 min read

With its unique aroma, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, heng jin teh has been a Penang favorite for decades and is usually taken together with eu char koay (fried dough stick).

by Lim Sok Swan & Pan Yi Chieh

You Can Eat Healthy in Penang

5 min read

Penang is deservedly famous for its street food, but street food is not especially famous for being healthy. As obesity and diabetes become more prevalent in th...

by Louise Goss-Custard

Bringing World Cuisine to Penang

6 min read

Much of Penang’s appeal lies in the myriad types of cuisine available there. Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Syrian, Lebanese, Italian, American, German and Fr...

by James Springer

Taste, in Words

5 min read

Laparpo: Popularising Halal FoodPenang’s food-blogging scene abounds – naturally – with passionate subject-matter experts. Penang TuaPui and...

by Emilia Ismail

Slow Food is Good Food

8 min read

In 1986 a protest against the opening of a McDonald’s near Rome’s Spanish Steps took place. Carlo Petrini led the campaign against the founding of t...

by Regina Hoo

Talk about Market Forces!

5 min read

The freshest produce – so fresh, the chickens are still squawking in their cages – and the latest gossip await at the market.

by Dan Lee

Food and Politics

6 min read

As I spend more time in politics, I find that food features prominently.When I was first elected in 2013, between August and September that year (during the C...

by Steven Sim

The Warung – A Pit Stop for Refreshment and Some Culture

4 min read

The moment Pak Mat stands up from his chair, fixing his shabby East Coast batik sarong and reaching for his Kelantanese batik lepas headcloth that has been hang...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Enough With Penang Food Already! What About the Drinks?

3 min read

Yes, Penang has amazing food, be it fusion or hybrid, street or mall, traditional or accidental. And yes, it has amazing desserts too, like the Penang Road te...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Penang Economic Indicators

2 min read

The economic performance of Malaysia and Penang has been strong for past six years, with an average annual growth of 5%. Penang’s gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP per capita were higher than the national figures, which is a good sign.

by Ng Peng Zui

Ng Peng Zui

Malaysia’s GDP Growth Masks a Dark Truth

5 min read

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have increased their projection of Malaysia’s GDP growth this year to 5.2% and 4.8% respectively. This is due to the unexpected GDP surge of 5.7% in the first half of 2017.

by Joshua Woo Sze Zeng

The More the Money, the More the Taxes

8 min read

Penang Monthly charts the sources of federal government revenue. Over the last 45 years, government revenue has registered impressive annual growth rates: in 1970 it hit RM2.4bil; by 2015, it had exceeded RM219bil.

by Our Economist

Our Economist

Total posts

3409

Explore column

Ads

Support us

As Penang Monthly continues to evolve, we aim to deliver better quality reads. At present, our issues are free to be read. But we need your financial support as we endeavour to be the voice of Penang and an inspiring read for the curious Malaysian. Every RM100 contribution from individuals (or RM1,000 for corporations) will be entitled to tax exemption receipt.

Explore column

Feature

Editorial

Cover Story

Statistics

Photo Essay

Covid-19 Exclusives

Penang Profile

Ask Azmi