Lots of old Georgetown is preserved because now it has UNESCO cultural heritage protection and because before that it had rent control for many years which meant fairly poor people lived in the centre, and there was no incentive for property owners to demolish and rebuild. No incentive to maintain or improve these houses and other buildings either. Anyway the end of rent control and then shortly after the championing of heritage protection is leading to lots of restoration and also many fewer residents. The culture of food and tourism and cultural tourism I guess isn't all a bad thing but does raise the international issue of housing unaffordability and the amenity for people on low incomes.
Last night the fish, as can be seem in the post below had a delicious subtle poaching juice with a surprise chilli or two as Grette discovered. At lunch today mutton rogan josh and tandoori chicken, with the chillies unobtrusive. Street noodles tonight not overtly dependent on chillies either.
It seems the Portuguese had well and truly done their work before Georgetoen and greater Penang got going. If we get to some Nonya cuisine after the Botanic Gardens tomorrow the chilli may resurface.
After viewing Roland Chilli man's complete profile I was not astonished to learn that the hottest chilli is an Australian known as the Butch T: that's according to the Tehran Times. Now I don't know how much chilli the Iranians use in their food, though I suspect their Revolutionary Guard uses a fair bit on their unruly citizenry. And guess what? The former crown holder of the hottest chilli was the mother of all monarchies, The United Kingdom. True Fact! Just so you know - the spicy Jalapeno, doesn't even rate in the heat stakes.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that, I am sure that whether you are in Australia chewing them, or being sprayed with them in Tehran - neither compares to eating them in Malaysia with fresh fish served by little old ladies. Lovely!