2013 Nine Emperor Gods Festival and Food

The makeshift temple of Nine Emperor Gods at Lip Sin Garden, Penang was full of activities with ample food being sold.

The finale of the festival, the temple and area were packed with activities and people.  Heavy and regular downpours during this time was expected but on the final night itself, the rain stopped and the weather was cool and good.

Nine Emperor Gods Festival is an annual event whereby devotees will observe a 9-10 days vegetarian diet.  
During this time, for convenience, many devotees observing vegetarian diet will choose to eat out at the makeshift food stalls.  Most of the food on sale looks good and to many they do taste good too.  But, this year with food prices going up especially for soy products, the vendors took opportunity to increase their  food prices too.   Many have complained that the food were too expensive for the food variety and portion .  An example quoted, a plate of rice with 2 vegetables [not mock food] costs RM4.50 and a plate of rice with 3 vegetables [not mock food] costs RM5-6.  There is basically no basis at all on how the price is calculated.
Every year, I thought I shall try out these vegetarian delicacies at the stalls but usually after the first meal there, I would change my mind and cook my own. The reasons are that I'm not happy with the food portion and prices and sometimes the hygiene factor.
These were the various food that I cooked for my family and also shared with my neighbours for this year's festival.   Not that difficult to prepare and economically worthy to try cooking them yourself.

Vegetarian Pickled Mixed Vegetables [Acar Awak]

Vegetarian Sambal 2

Vegetarian Red Yeast Rice Char Siew

Dual Purpose Stir Fry Jicama

Vegetarian Chye Boey

Vegetarian Stir Fry Celery with Mushrooms

Vegetarian Savoury Rice with White Beans

Vegetarian Bak Kut Teh

Vegetarian Tempe Curry

Braised Mushrooms, Vegetables in Nam Yee Sauce 

Vegetarian Egg with Black Fungus

Vegetarian Stir Fry Eggplant with Miso

Vegetarian Sweet Sourish Tempe Curry

Macao Style Vegetarian Mock Meat

Braised Assorted Mushrooms with Mustard Stems

Braised Mui Choy in Nam Yee Sauce

Vegetarian Sambal with Okra

Vegetarian Mock Fish Fillet

Vegetarian Achar Fish

Bicycle For Rent - Penang Heritage Trail

I had a wonderful experience the other day cycling around the area on a cool Sunday morning.  It brought back the memories of those days when I used to cycle to school from Weld Quay to Convent Light Street, passing through several roads around the banking area [Victoria Street, China Street, Beach Street, Light Street].  For about one and a half year, I took another route to St. Xaviers' Institution [Victoria Street, Market Street, Pitt Street, Stewart Lane, Love Lane and Muntri Street].  A lot have changed over the decades but it was a very enjoyable ride.

With the closing of some streets in Georgetown during weekends has encouraged cycling around the Heritage zone a much safer and carefree activity for locals and tourists from near and far. 

These days you can see more and more people cycling around Georgetown, the Heritage Trail zone.  People from all over be it locals or tourists can get to experience cycling activity here easily by renting bicycles from vendors around the area.

One of the places where you can rent these bicycles to ride around Georgetown is at Skippy Bicycle For Rent located at Gat Lebuh Armenian.  The charges are very reasonable and location is easily accessible and within the vicinity of almost all the popular tourists' and historical spots.

Feel free to contact the numbers below should you wish to experience cycling around Penang Heritage Area.

Latest Contact Number - 016-4573103 and 017-5853039

Penang Heritage Town Visit 2013

We have been so use to Georgetown which is our birth place and where we grew up  for several decades.  But due to developments, we have to move out of town to another part of Penang.  Memories of the serene and easy town are always that beautiful.

Since I am working and residing in the outskirts, travelling to Georgetown becomes less and less.  There has been much restoration and conservation activities/projects in town since we moved out of the place.  So today we make a point to visit some of the heritage buildings, the city roads, museum, churches and of course some of the delicious hawker foods which we used to have etc.  However, we discovered that some of the food and snacks we used to have were no  longer there.  Is this the price we pay for changes and developments?

Here are some of the photos we took during the trip.

 

St George's Church

Penang Courthouse

Penang Courthouse

 

 Below are some photos we took at the Penang Museum 

which remind us of the past.

My beloved school principal - Sister Francis De Sales

Cheong Fatt Tze House

 

 

One of the lovely Murals in inner Georgetown [Ah Quee Street]

These were the sites and places which I used to pass by during my school days several decades ago.  Those were the days when the roads were so safe and peaceful where school-going children residing in Georgetown could walk or cycle to their schools anytime of the day for lessons and extra-curricular activities.  Oh!, those were the good old, carefree days which I really missed and present day children couldn't get to experience.

I must certainly make more trips back to Georgetown with the young children of the family.