The Cheapskate Highbrow and the Dilemma of Sustaining Penang Hawker Food

In 2014, the Penang Chief Minister imposed a ban on foreigners working as the main cooks of hawker food, in the attempt to preserve “local taste”. Exploration of the dilemma of sustaining the taste of Penang hawker food and the profession of preparing it argues for a broader definition of “Penang hawker food”. This definition acknowledges the confluence of Penang’s migrant histories while being inclusive and reflective of changes in sociocultural trends, population and migration flows.