Char Koay Teow

I took a shot of this old shop in Penang. This one is located in Pulau Tikus along Burmah Road. I remember, as a child I used to walk along this stretch of shophouses often down to the linked coffeeshop to buy Char Koay Teow. I would always try to peek in to see what is going on in there. It was fascinating. And I always was very cautious with those doors in case it swings out and hit me.

Further down, the Char Koay Teow that used to be fried by a lady is now being taken over by his son (?). It used to be very popular and they used banana leaves shaped in a large cone to pack it. I also remembered bringing my own egg in the olden times.

Unfortunately, when we tried this one by the young lad, the taste was not the same anymore. It was bland and didn't taste good. That will be my last time I will patronize this hawker. This probably marked the end of the good stuff. In fact, when my sis brought me to try a char koay teow near her office in Subang, it tasted better than the many char koay teows I've tried in Penang. Many of the Penang hawkers substitute or reduce their food quality due to the high inflation rate and costs but if their quality is not controlled, I'm sure they will pretty soon lose their ground as food heaven.