I explored more of Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia today with Auntie Aihwa. We went out to eat at a Nyonya restaurant named Nyonya breeze desire located in the Marina shopping mall. We then went to the Nyonya museum and finally Fort Cornwalis.

 The marina shown here. You can see the mainland Malaysia Peninsula in the background.

I am standing on the sea wall with the light house in the background. Apparently, this is all reclaimed land from the 2004 tsunami and it would the first place the tsunami from Wednesdays earthquake would hit. But we have not had any tsnuamis, so the locals believe we are safe.

Our next stop was lunch inside the marina shopping mall.

 We were served by waitresses in the traditional Nyonya dress. An embroidered see through blouse with another shirt underneath over a long silk skirt. She was not wearing the traditional beaded slippers.

Auntie Aihwa showing off the too tor tng, or pig stomach soup.  The soup also had ginko, chicken and mushrooms. The pig stomach was very chewy and tasteless. The other ingredients of the soup added some flavor to it.

This was our full lunch meal. It was Acar acar at 12 oclock, going clockwise, Otak otak, Pork Rendang, steamed rice, and Too Tor Tng. We washed it down with nutmeg juice.  Acar acar is pickled green beans which I rated as a medium spicy (I didn't have to drink a cold drink after each bite). Otak otak, Malay for brains, was chopped fish and a local herb leaf made into the consistency of brains, rated as not spicy. Pork Rendang, a curry with pork, is a traditional Malay cooking style which is traditionally done with beef but the locals have adapted it to a pork dish because of the local Chinese and Hindi who do not eat beef. It is done in a very special way and takes hours to prepare. It was a super spicy dish that required my nutmeg juice and a second lime juice. Finally the too tor tng, or pig stomach, which is a very ethnic Malay dish. I found it quite tasty, although the texture was a bit weird. I think I would try it again, maybe.

Interesting fact over lunch conversation: a new Nyonya bride must past tests like cooking some of these  Nyonyan dishes for the groom's family in order to be deemed good enough for the arranged marriage. And the Nyonyan kitchen has special ways of cooking, not quite as strict as a kosher kitchen but similar idea.

After lunch we went to the Baba-Nyonya home turned museum in downtown Georgetown. The Georegetown skyline from the marina. It is a family home that is now open to the public.

The home was ornately decorated with gold everywhere.

This is the sitting room.

Next door is the game room.

This was a popular card game that Auntie Aihwa has forgotten the rules to.

Here is Auntie Aihwa on the couch in the game room. It is made of marble so, it would be cool on a hot afternoon like today.

Here is the formal dining room,  from the courtyard which is in the center of the home.

The formal dining room.

The staircase from the courtyard.

As per Malaysian custom, you must remove your shoes before going upstairs. 

There is a opium smoking couch.

Supplied with opium.

The bridal chamber. According to Auntie Aihwa, the basket is for chickens. The newly weds bring male and female to the room with them and release one. Their first born will be the gender of the released bird.

The bride and groom wedding crowns. They look heavy to me!

The bride comes with a wash basin and chamber pot.

The Buddist worship altar.

Traditional Nyonya dress.

The hand-embroidered blouse with silk skirt. The blouse is see-through. They wear a white blouse, styled like a tank top, underneath and no bra. Auntie Aihwa's mother still wears these.

The older style of Nyonya dress.

The handmade, beaded or threads on slippers. The bride is required to make her own bridal blouse and shoes.

Some of the jewelry that a female wears with the Nyonya dress. There are ankle bangles, clasps for the blouse, earrings and necklaces.  Aihwa shared that for parties, the more jewelry a female wore, the higher social class she was considered. Women would go to the extend of borrowing jewelry.

The courtyard from above. The front door is at the top of the picture.

The kitchen is located in a building adjacent to the home. It is a wood-burning stove.
  

Another part of the kitchen. Note the mortars for grinding grain.


I will post the pictures from Fort Cornwalis later. I am joining a community group tonight.