Knife and scissors are real, but just used for friendly purposes. This girls scooterist gang prepared me some delicious Malaysian plate with unbeaten hospitality.
A hawker centre or food centre is the name given to open-air complexes in Malaysia and Singapore housing many stalls that sell a variety of inexpensive food. They are typically found near public housing estates or transport hubs (such as bus interchanges or train stations). The shot over here was taken at 35 km South of the third biggest town of Malaysia : Ipoh
Hawker centres sprung up in urban areas following the rapid urbanisation in the 1950s and 1960s. In many cases, they were built partly to address the problem of unhygienic food preparation by unlicensed street hawkers. More recently, they have become less ubiquitous due to growing affluence in the urban populations of Malaysia and Singapore. Particularly in Singapore, they are increasingly being replaced by food courts, which are indoor, air conditioned versions of hawker centres located in shopping malls and other commercial venues.
In the 1950s and 1960s, hawker centres were considered to be a venue for the less affluent. They had a reputation for unhygienic food, partly due to the frequent appearance of stray domestic pets and pests. Many hawker centres were poorly managed by their operators, often lacking running water and proper facilities for cleaning. More recently, hygiene standards have improved, with pressure from the local authorities. This includes the implementation of licensing requirements, where a sufficient standard of hygiene is required for the stall to operate, and rewarding exceptionally good hygiene.
Dear Jen, the worst meals and drinks are those you still remember and want to forget and those you cannot remember anymore as it was your last.
My next trip is getting out of my office visiting the supermarket, but if you mean next one at somewhat greater distance I will travel to the Netherlands again tomorrow, liefs Paul
Hello Paul, great to see the ladies preparing your meal, what did they prepare? It seems like you guys have travelled much more then I did, never been to Asia really except for Singapore, would love to see some of these places! And about hygienics: I have been so sick from an orange juice, from a CLOSED bottle for over 3 weeks, drank it in Syria...and still sick in Egypt:( Not really great if you travel by car all the way:))) Great shot dear Paul, where is your next trip leading you? liefs Jenxx
Wolf Harry, I really felt safe with these ladies in particular :-) Also travelling through Malaysia I found it quiet and peaceful at most places. People are mostly curious and friendly. Traffic is always the biggest danger but that's in every country. For a tourist there are more dangerous places than Malaysia. I have been in countries and towns with high crime rates where robberies are such frequent that better give you (compact) camera away than being shot yourself.
Oh, I referred to the bacteria Paul, Eat only stuff that has been cooked, boiled, roasted and drink anything from a (un)opened bottle. Maybe I was naive but I never felt really unsafe ( re robbery or so ), just be alert and dont advertise with you wallets or money. Standard operating procedure for tourists .
Thanks for showing Paul. I was in Malaysia in 1986 and indeed hawker centres all around but not safe to eat for a westerner ....... this looks better !
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{K:56854} 6/21/2008
