Roti john is an omelette sandwich founded by a Malay who lived in Singapore during the British colonial times before being widely popular throughout the Malay Peninsula in present-day Malaysia.
Roti is the Hindi, Urdu and Malay word for bread, and more generally for any bread-based or bread-like food, including sandwiches and pancakes. The origin of john in the name is allegedly due to the Western origin of the baguette and British colonial rule in British Malaya and Singapore island.
The ingredients include minced meat (chicken or mutton), onion, egg, tomato-chilli sauce and a baguette-type loaf.
~Wikipedia~
Adding colour, brightness to Festival of Lights
Radiant display: Munsamy with one of the electric spinning light trays being sold for Deepavali at Little India in George Town.
GEORGE TOWN: The must-have item this Deepavali seems to be brightly-coloured fabric lanterns.
These dominate Little India, the heritage enclave’s one-stop spot for all things for the Festival of Lights.
Traders are stocking them up in a multitude of hues and designs.
Kangaman Trading Sdn Bhd store manager D. Munsamy, 69, in Market Street, said he expected the lanterns to be popular this year.
He said that his store would usually sell prayer items all year round “but nearer to the festive season, we sell decorative items as well”.
Nearby, saree shop owner M.P. Alagarsamy, 77, said ready-made clothes were expected to sell better this year especially when the big day gets nearer.
“There will be no time to get tailored sarees then,” he said.
Customer B. Lechumi, 19, was at the store, buying a saree to wear at her sister’s wedding and to enjoy the Deepavali sale.
“The sarees in Penang are more reasonably-priced compared to what we see back home in Kuala Lumpur,” said Lechumi, who was with her mother R. Tamil Selvi, 45.
The all-important mouth-watering sweetmeats were aplenty too.
Seller M. Thanaraj, 35, said customers always sought freshly-made ones “usually when Deepavali nears”.
“People buy in small amounts now to test the flavours and they will come back and buy in large quantities just before Deepavali,” he said.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Passengers wade through ankle-deep water in Penang airport
Twenty-eight passengers had to wade through ankle-deep water before boarding their aircraft due to flash flood at the Penang International Airport (PIA).
The flood at the airport’s departure lounge of turbo-prop aircraft was caused by continuous rainfall for one and a half hours starting from 8.30am.
Some passengers on their way to Subang Airport even removed their shoes during the 9.30am incident yesterday.
Airport operator Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd (MASB) senior manager Mohd Nadzim Hashim said the water receded within 15 minutes.
“The flood was caused by unusually heavy rain, with rainfall recorded at 48.8mm within 90 minutes. We could not reposition the aircraft as it was near departure time,” he said.
After the passengers boarded their flight, Mohd Nadzim said the lounge was closed for an hour for cleaning.
He said during the downpour, all the drainage and on-site detection (OSD) tanks in PIA were functioning well.
Meanwhile, state Tourism Development, Heritage, Culture and Arts Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin urged Malaysia Airports Holdings to look into the cause so that a similar incident would not happen again.
Staying dry: An airport worker on duty while rain continues to fall.
“The airport gives tourists the first impression of the city. This incident should not have happened as it would present a negative image of Penang.
“The relevant airport departments should take immediate action to improve the airport’s facilities. There must be a cause to it,” he said in a statement.
Yeoh said he had received input from many people on ways to improve airport facilities.
“I have also met with the airport management and I have requested for the upgrading of the facilities and services at the airport.
“I hope all the departments can cooperate with the Penang government to turn Penang into a city of international standard,” he said.
On the airport’s expansion, Yeoh said he hoped to get “good news” from the Transport Ministry.
In the past, the inline baggage area and arrival hall of the PIA were submerged in ankle-deep water after heavy rain.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Ministry: Eateries nationwide to be smoke-free from next year
Smoking in all restaurants, coffee shops and hawker centres nationwide will be banned starting next year, even in open-air eateries.
Apart from the existing smoke-free zones in public places and government buildings, the new ruling under the Health Ministry will encompass all restaurants and eateries, including open-air hawker centres and street stalls, according to Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye.
Those caught smoking at prohibited areas will be fined up to RM10,000 or face two years’ jail.
Eateries found to allow their patrons to light up will be fined up to RM2,500.
“This time, all restaurants regardless whether they are an enclosed area, air-conditioned or open-air will need to comply with the ruling from next year,” he said after opening a conference at the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology yesterday.
Dr Lee said smokers or restaurant owners who violated the ruling would face action under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 under the Food Act.
He added that the ruling was not only to encourage smokers to kick the habit, but also to protect non-smokers from the effects of secondhand smoke.
“We are ready to face objections from smokers and restaurant owners, but we will not compromise when it comes to looking after the health of the people.
“No doubt smokers will say they have the right to smoke, but non-smokers also have the right to enjoy their food without being harmed by cigarette smoke.
“Business operators and traders need not worry about getting fewer customers as we are confident that more non-smoking customers will eat at places without the presence of cigarette smoke,” said Dr Lee.
He also said imposing the ban on roadside and illegal eateries was still a challenge and that the ministry had yet to decide on the details.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Symbolic start to festival
Lim (right) and other volunteers pasting joss paper onto a bamboo pole at Tow Boe Keong Kew Ong Tai Tay Temple in Gat Lebuh Macallum, George Town.
GEORGE TOWN: For the past 120 years, volunteers at the Tow Boe Keong Kew Ong Tai Tay Temple would go into the jungle in search of giant bamboo for the Nine Emperor Gods Festival.
This year, they managed to find one in Bukit Gambier and the bamboo pole will be put up outside the temple for the nine-day festival which starts tomorrow.
Some 20 volunteers were seen applying the finishing touches to the pole yesterday.
Among them was Lim Chin Joo, 60, who was pasting joss paper onto the pole.
“The bamboo pole will be joined to another pole made out of a ship’s mast which is solid and strong.”
The total height of the pole would then be over 100 feet (30.5m).
“It will be hoisted up until the festival ends on Oct 18,” Lim said.
The temple in Gat Lebuh Macallum facing the seafront has been celebrating the occasion for more than 120 years.
It is believed that the tall pole will facilitate the deities’ descend to Earth during the celebrations.
The pole will be raised today after a prayer ceremony to invoke and welcome the nine emperors.
On the evening of the ninth day of the festival, which falls on Oct 17, a boat filled with prayer paraphernalia, rice, sugar, vegetarian dishes and other essential stuff will leave for the Tan Jetty in Weld Quay for the sending-off ceremony.
A check in Madras Lane yesterday showed that vegetarian food hawkers have started setting up makeshift tents and booths.
Trader Lee Eng Kok, 57, whose father started the business at the spot 59 years ago, said his stall would operate 24 hours throughout the celebration.
“My father started it here in 1959. I took over about 30 years ago. Family members will come together and help to cook and prepare the vegetarian food to be served to customers,” he said, adding that thousands of devotees would throng his stall every year.
Assisted by his son Keh Khai, 31, Eng Kok said there would be over 30 dishes sold at his stall.
Devotees will go on a nine-day vegetarian diet for the festival.
The festival celebrated annually from the first day to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the Chinese calendar, observed by Taoists, is dedicated to the nine sons of Dou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star, who is believed to control the Books of Life and Death.
Devotees believe the deities will arrive through the waterway.
Processions are usually held from temples to the river or seashore as a symbolic gesture.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Malaysia eyes 30 million tourist arrivals by 2020
The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is targeting 30 million tourist arrivals by 2020.
Deputy Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said this would increase the contribution of tourism to the Gross Domestic Product from 14.9 per cent last year, when there were 26.1 million tourist arrivals, to 15.1 per cent.
He said the increase in tourist arrivals proved that tourism promotions had been successful.
“We are now asking for a bigger budget for tourism promotion because it is key to the sustainability of the tourism industry,” he told reporters after flagging off the 2018 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride Penang, here, today.
He said there was a need to go all out to promote the country’s tourism industry as there was stiff competition from neighbouring countries.
He urged tourism organisations to use the tagline, Malaysia Truly Asia, in their promotions as it had proved to be effective in wooing tourists.
Bakhtiar said the ministry was working with the Education Ministry to introduce staggered school holiday breaks according to states to distribute the domestic tourist load.
~News courtesy of New Straits Times~
Penang to consider trackless alternative to LRT
Penang will study a proposal to build a trackless Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) as an alternative to the proposed light rail transit (LRT) in its mega multi-billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) project.
During a question-and-answer session at the PTMP for Penangites forum at Dewan Sri Pinang today, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government was briefed by China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) on the new train system last week.
“ART is relatively new. CRCC came to Penang last week and presented the ART to us,” he said.
“But, it will not be fair for us to respond now. Previously, they (Penang Forum) only talked about trams. It is a new product, but we will not rule it out. We will look into it.”
Chow was responding to a presentation by Penang Forum member Dr Lim Mah Hui called “Better, Cheaper, Faster Penang Transport Master Plan”.
He hinted that it would be difficult to implement ART in Penang.
“In the video, the train was on an eight to 10 lanes highway. Penang does not have that,” he said.
ART is the world’s first electric-powered train system which was launched recently in two cities in China.
The ART system is said to be more energy- and cost-efficient than LRT.
The train, which has a lifespan of 25 years, only needs 10 minutes of charging for it to travel up to 25km.
About 300 Penangites, including representatives of local non-governmental organisations, attended the forum.
Lim said the proposed Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1) had to be scrapped, while the PTMP project should be reviewed.
“Our arguments are backed by facts. More highways will not solve traffic congestion in the state. The only alternative is to improve the public transport system,” said Lim.
“Penangites will only enjoy congestion-free roads for five years. After that we will be back to square one. This is why we are proposing for the PTMP to be reviewed.”
~News courtesy of New Straits Times~
