Getting a Taste of Malaysia's Cultural Mix
Jessica Hsieh | July 13, 2009
Jessica Hsieh poses in a doorway at Kek Lok Si temple.
After 20 hours of flying and an overnight stay in a transit hotel in Singapore, I have finally arrived in Penang, Malaysia. “Saujana” means beautiful in Malay, and it’s a name quite fitting for my hostel, due to the view it offers. Every day, I wake and fall asleep to the sunrises and sunsets reflecting across the Strait of Malacca, the water channel between Penang and the mainland. Due to the hot, humid, Malaysian weather, I am covered in sweat by the time I arrive at work, though it is only about a 15-minute walk away.
This summer, I hope to gain knowledge about how to optimize the design of small interfering RNAs targeting conserved regions of the influenza genome. Since the influenza virus undergoes point mutations and genetic reassortment, it is important to find a treatment method that can be used against all subtypes of the virus.
The locals here eye me with curiosity; although I am treated as a local, they cannot easily tell what ethnicity I am. As a Taiwanese American, I have given up in saying that I am from the United States because every time, my response is always followed by this question: “No, where are you really from?” Since Malaysia is a country where several ethnic groups live, not only Malays but also Chinese and Indians, my ears are gradually adjusting to the multiple languages and dialects I hear around Penang. Malaysians call their way of speaking ”rojak,“ after a dish made up of a mixture of fruits, vegetables and fried goodies served with a shrimp-based, peanut and sesame sauce. Just like this dish, their way of talking is also a medley of multiple cultures. Needless to say, I am delighted to discover that I am able to communicate not only in English, but also in Mandarin and Taiwanese (the Taiwanese version of the Malaysian-Chinese dialect Hokkien) in Penang. It makes Malaysia feel just that much more like home!
The two PRIME students in Malaysia pose in front of a tower at Kek Lok Si temple.
Along with my PRIME companion, Jessica Liu, we attempted to fit in with the locals by using public transportation to get around Penang. We were having lunch with a coworker when we asked her about the blue buses we had seen around town. Our lab member remarked surprisingly that there are no blue buses we can take around Penang, only yellow or Rapid Penang buses. I explained in confusion that we had boarded a blue bus without paying that took us from Gurney Plaza (a famous shopping center) to Komtar (the central bus center and also a shopping complex in Penang). Our coworker thought for a brief moment before bursting into laughter. It was then that we found out we had boarded a bus for factory workers. All this time, I thought I was getting a free ride from the locals when in actuality, we had boarded a worker’s bus without even knowing it!
On my first Saturday here, I ventured with my fellow PRIME student on a gastronomical adventure. First, we tackled the famous local fruits at a roadside stand in the hills of Penang. As the king of fruit, the durian indeed reigned by its distinctive smell alone. Its strong flavor exploded in my mouth, juxtaposing its intense taste with its soft, squishy texture. The second fruit, the rambutan, has soft spikes all over its red outer layer. It looks inedible at first glance but this fruit, a cousin of the lychee, surprised me with it juicy interior. Third, I learned how to pop open a fully ripened mangosteen, the queen of fruits, by pressing my two palms tightly against the fruit’s purple coat of royalty to reveal the tangy, sweet white pulp inside. Last but not least, I tried the jackfruit, the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. Its overpowering smell is comparable to that of the durian's but its interior offers a sweet, yellow flesh. After a brief visit to the famous KekLok Si Temple, Fort Cornwallis and City Hall, we stopped at roadside stands to enjoy laksa and chendul. Laksa is a noodle soup that is special due to its grounded-shrimp base. Meanwhile, chendul is a local dessert made with noodles made with rice flour and pandan leaves, red beans, coconut milk, black sugar syrup and shaved ice. Eating while standing by the road at these hawker stands added to our enjoyment of Malaysian cuisine.
Hsieh and her fellow PRIME student Jessica Liu try out durian and mangosteen.
The following day, we attended the international student barbeque that welcomed us to Universiti Sains Malaysia. It is the start of a new semester at USM. Yet, after the dinner, we experienced an even bigger welcome from Mother Nature. Although we were told that it frequently rains in Malaysia (and by rain, I mean tropical-thunderstorm style), none of us (including the international students we walked home with) were prepared for what was to come ahead. The rain pummeled down on us without mercy. We screamed as we crossed roads, sloshing through ankle-deep waters. Making our way up and down the hilly streets, we finally arrived at the hostel without one dry spot. We were officially soaked from head to toe. In fact, my new pair of Naturalizer sandals, not even a week old, died on the spot; even its glue could not withstand the forces of nature. Yet, though the rain drenched us completely, it was quite refreshing. It sounds odd to say but after the warm rain, I can smell the fresh, lush greenness of Penang in the air.
After only a week here in Penang, I am excited to see not only what else the city has to offer but also what other funny things I will be getting myself into as I continue to explore and open up the shell of “the Pearl of the Orient”.
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