CF Foodcourt - 7th Day of Chinese New Year

One of the scene that I can never experience in Perth is the vibrancy of the city after sunset. So I always try to take in this atmosphere as much as I could whenever I am back in Penang.

Penang comes to life after dark where some of the streets in the city will be converted into makeshift hawker centres the locals would go to have a snack or two. We went to CF Foodcourt at Weld Quay on the 7th day of Chinese New Year 2015 (年初七) for dinner because I knew that it is going to be full of people and lots of delicious food to choose from. You could taste great food and feel the energy of the city at the same time. And to my surprise there was a live performance on that day which made the whole evening even more meaningful.

The crowd was impressive at CF Foodcourt.

Live performance - a bonus.

Hawker centres and foodcourts are the kind of place where people from all walks of life would unwind and gather in the evening either with families or friends. It is our public place to socialize with others. It is a place with no restriction to race, social status, gender or age. How much more democratic could it be? And it is definitely very affordable to most people. You don't have to fork out a fortune to have an enjoyable evening. I guess that is the most unique and attractive aspect of dining out in Penang.

Dry Fish Head Bee Hoon

Fish Head Bee Hoon Soup

Tom Yam Bee Hoon

This is the stall where we ordered from - check them out!

Despite the exodus of talents out of the country in recent years due to our current volatile political situation, Penang somehow still manages to retain its charm and it has never been more obvious than during the Chinese New Year period when the entire state is in celebration mood. In fact we could also say that it is because of so many people are now living outside the country and the one thing that they look forward to every year is to be able to go back to their hometown to be with their family. That is why the population of Penang balloons up multiple times during Chinese New Year because of people coming back from all corners of the world. There is nothing more wonderful than being able to hear Penang Hokkien spoken by everyone around me whenever I'm back.

It is the simplistic and easy going lifestyle of Penang which has continuously attracting people from all over the world to now stay long term on this magnificent island. I'll always be proud that Penang is my home.