Many people often asked me what makes the hawker food in Penang so delicious? I told them it must be the water if not for the good Feng Shui for culinary chefs. I am not kidding okay.
Let me show you my own theory coz I believe there many great chefs in KL and Singapore too and the ones in Penang are not better. Some hawkers in Penang have unhygienic cooking styles yet no one cares since they tasted great. So much rumor mongers accused Assam Laksa sellers for adding mashed old newspapers pulps or chicken feed to thicken their fish gravy.
I often went up the Air Itam hills to jog around the huge reservoir which is really a sanctuary with thick tropical jungle greens like the ones found in Borneo. It is 202 hectacres big with lots of snakes, monkeys and wild birds.
Whooaaaa! A Cobra!..... no no it was a stick with a leaf. Macam ular kan? My balls shrunk like a coward coz I have phobia for snakes!
So much water in the catchment and they flow down from the upper mountain streams and puddles. Look at the thousands of trees and plants on the banks where they provide all the natural minerals and flavours into the drinking water which makes the cooking somewhat more tasty.
There are plenty of wild Pitcher Plants or Monkey Cups growing everywhere which is a good Feng Shui plant for attracting wealth. Look at Nase's Momma Rose who hung pots of them at their porch, no wonder so kaya!
Of course I thought of our honourable Fable Frog when I saw this sign. I wonder if that is his direct line 5096509???
I think many reports have been made on the weird sightings there. Pontianak or Loch Ness??
Another angle of the lovely reservoir where you could find lots of big fishes swimming happily in the water too.
This popular Air Itam Reservoir overlooks the city of Georgetown, now voted World's No. 2 best tourist destination by the New York Times recently. I find Penang Island a rather unique place with such a good mixture of fine historical buildings, culture and food. Twilight is also Penang born and a curry mouthed weirdo.
After my run, I naturally headed to savour my favourite Assam Laksa stall beside the filthy longkang at the wet market of Air Itam. I know the boss who wore the blue stripes. Every year, he would visit Hatyai for some ayam relaxations with his wife's consent. I was once very close with his wife's entire siblings who are of interesting characters. Her 5 brothers consists of a Temple Medium, 2 Race Horse Bookies, an impotent divorcee and a hardcore womanizer.
Once I asked the boss if he added Sin Chew Newspaper pulps into his Laksa gravy? He @#$% me upside down, so I learnt to enjoy them regardless of what shit he added inside the gravy. Since Air Itam dwellers are enjoying the magical drinking water from the dam, it is a fact that most hawker food there are yummiest! Do you think so?