Penang bans foreigners from cooking 13 local dishes
Mention Penang and Singaporeans start to drool, thinking of the delicious street food the Malaysian state offers.
Maybe it is the locally-sourced ingredients or the cooking secrets that have been passed down many generations that make Penang food extra-special.
Whatever it is, Penang is taking measures to preserve its status as a street food haven by forbidding foreigners from cooking 13 local dishes at hawker stalls and foodcourts.
The dishes are nasi lemak, assam laksa, Indian rojak, mee sotong, char kway teow, kway teow soup, prawn mee, curry mee, wonton mee, loh bak, chee cheong fun, char kway kak and oyster omelette.
The ban was first implemented in 2016 at state-owned centres and markets. The City Council of Penang Island has since issued warning letters to violators in the private sector and revoked the licences of 17 hawkers from government-owned centres as at January 2018.
“The initiative is important to preserve the authenticity of our Penang food,” Penang state executive councillor for local government, town and country planning Jason H’ng told The Straits Times.
“The extension of the ban can create more job opportunities for locals and reduce our dependence on migrant workers."
Then Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said in 2016 that the move was to preserve the authenticity of the state’s local flavours.
“Most visitors would not want to come to Penang to taste food cooked by foreigners. Only when you maintain the original taste of flavours can you feel the warmth of Penang,” he told The Star.
Music to Singaporean ears.
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