There was a time an old colleague told me he didn't like the 'Penang Char Kuey Tiao' in KL.
He said KLites can't actually cook good food, what more to cook food native to another 'small' faraway place.
I jokingly ask, "then why are you here in KL, sitting at a KL stall eating Penang food?"
He said " I have to come to KL to earn a living, and I have no choice because this is what KL has to offer, I just can't drive back to Penang everytime I need a Char Kuey Tiao".
And I ask him " do you know where that Char Kuey Tiao guy hailed from? Your guess is right, Penang."
"Do you know what his original profession was?" You won't be able to guess this time". ----- a plumber.
The reason he took to hawkering was; he could not make a proper living being a plumber, and he learned Penang Char Kuey Tiao from his hometown, imported it to KL.
So, it is the emigrants to KL, who brought along those so-called Penang delicacies here, and it is the Penangites who so craved for hometown food that they 'fall prey' to such crap food.
The colleague continue to ramble about the traffic jams in KL, the people's attitude to each other, etc. He dislike the atmosphere and lifestyle in KL.
I assured him, KLites were originally simple locals. We started with only 40,000 people in Kl during the 1950s, it was only after independence that emigrants from all over Malaysia populated the metropolitan.
Original KLites have over the decades shifted out of the KL boundaries, into the outskirts. Now, it is the emigrants from other small towns who have become KLites, who have caused the traffic jams, hawkering the lousy Penang or Ipoh or Johore or Melaka or Negeri Sembilan native food.
Just try to imagine, If KLites can't make a living in KL, they would most probably have gone to other big cities like NYC or London or Tokyo, in search of better opportunities. The motive is almost alike to this Penangite emigrating to KL. On the contrary, if they can make it in their own hometown, they wouldn't need to go anywhere.
I am quite puzzled with people emigrating to KL, caused a hell of a mess in KL, then blame KLites for making it so, and continually reminisce about their little hometown. These emigrants have sentimental memories about their hometowns, BUT they left it for materialistic gains. Is it due to the fact that, people will only missed it when they don't have it?
Or are we humans putting too much priority on monetary values over sentimental values?.
He said KLites can't actually cook good food, what more to cook food native to another 'small' faraway place.
I jokingly ask, "then why are you here in KL, sitting at a KL stall eating Penang food?"
He said " I have to come to KL to earn a living, and I have no choice because this is what KL has to offer, I just can't drive back to Penang everytime I need a Char Kuey Tiao".
And I ask him " do you know where that Char Kuey Tiao guy hailed from? Your guess is right, Penang."
"Do you know what his original profession was?" You won't be able to guess this time". ----- a plumber.
The reason he took to hawkering was; he could not make a proper living being a plumber, and he learned Penang Char Kuey Tiao from his hometown, imported it to KL.
So, it is the emigrants to KL, who brought along those so-called Penang delicacies here, and it is the Penangites who so craved for hometown food that they 'fall prey' to such crap food.
The colleague continue to ramble about the traffic jams in KL, the people's attitude to each other, etc. He dislike the atmosphere and lifestyle in KL.
I assured him, KLites were originally simple locals. We started with only 40,000 people in Kl during the 1950s, it was only after independence that emigrants from all over Malaysia populated the metropolitan.
Original KLites have over the decades shifted out of the KL boundaries, into the outskirts. Now, it is the emigrants from other small towns who have become KLites, who have caused the traffic jams, hawkering the lousy Penang or Ipoh or Johore or Melaka or Negeri Sembilan native food.
Just try to imagine, If KLites can't make a living in KL, they would most probably have gone to other big cities like NYC or London or Tokyo, in search of better opportunities. The motive is almost alike to this Penangite emigrating to KL. On the contrary, if they can make it in their own hometown, they wouldn't need to go anywhere.
I am quite puzzled with people emigrating to KL, caused a hell of a mess in KL, then blame KLites for making it so, and continually reminisce about their little hometown. These emigrants have sentimental memories about their hometowns, BUT they left it for materialistic gains. Is it due to the fact that, people will only missed it when they don't have it?
Or are we humans putting too much priority on monetary values over sentimental values?.
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