One of the places that Wuan and I will invariably head to whenever we are in Penang is Ghee Hiang at the corner between Macalister Road and Anson Road. For as long as I can remember, the name Ghee Hiang is synonymous with tau sar pneah, hneoh pneah and sesame seed oil. It has become an institution in Penang at par with the famous Penang hawker food. My late-parents used to patronise the shop at Beach Street whenever they were there to do their banking at Chung Khiaw Bank many years ago.

Ghee Hiang at Macalister Road, Penang.
Photo by Wuan.

Wuan and I are fond of the hneoh peah which according to the Ghee Hiang website is “melted brown sugar is wrapped around with flaky wheat pastries.” Wuan also likes phong peah which is “light fluffy pastry with white sugar.” William likes heoh pneah which is “fluffy pastry with green bean paste filling.” These are the pastries that we never fail to bring back to Kuala Lumpur from our trips to Penang.

Ghee Hiang tau sar pneah.
Photo by Wuan.

Our trip to Penang last week was no exception. We dropped in at the shop Beach Street as we were in the vicinity. Unfortunately, they only had tau sar pneah and phong pneah. So we drove all the way to Macalister Road to get heoh pneah for ourselves. We do not mind going the distance as it is not often that we get to savour these pastries. The only thing about Penang roads is that they are mostly one way streets and we had to drive one big round to reach the shop.

Ghee Hiang delivery motorcycle.
Photo by Wuan.

The pastries are now sealed in plastic wrappers unlike previously when all the pastries were just neatly arranged in the box without any wrapping. That was not all. What really indicated the changing of times that Ghee Hiang has convincingly embraced was a yellow motorcycle parked at the shop. It was painted yellow and had a box at the back with the Ghee Hiang mascot and a 1300 number to call for delivery. I remember many years ago one has to make advanced booking through phone to be able to secure a box or two of the pastries. It was literally selling like hot cakes then. Nowadays, one can just walk in and buy without the hassle of booking beforehand and now a motorcycle for delivery. Times are changing indeed.

Anwar Ibrahim has won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat with a whooping 15,671 majority. His entry into the parliament is accomplished. Next stop Putrajaya - the prime ministership of Malaysia. The whole of Malaysia is watching. The world is watching. September 16 is just 21 days away. Can he or can he not?

Last edited 10:32pm

How did the government arrive at the RM625 yearly rebate for owners of private vehicles? This is for engine capacity up to 2000cc to offset the drastic price hike in petrol beginning today. That amounts to only RM52.08 per month which is grossly insufficient to cover the additional cost on fuel for people who depend on their cars to move around. The public transportation in the Klang Valley and elsewhere in the country is just too hopelessly inefficient to be reliable.

It will be interesting to see what factors were considered. It will be even more interesting to see how businesses are going to cope with the added cost since commercial vehicles are excluded from getting any fuel rebate. Are we going to see another round of price increase in essential goods such as foodstuff? These are uncertain and painful times but one sure thing is that punters will be hedging their bets on 625 come Saturday and Sunday.