This afternoon I casually walked into a makan place near Maybank Tanjung Bungah that serves Mee Mamak.
I was genuinely glad to find it. It felt like the Penang I grew up with. Quaint. Unpretentious. The atmosphere, the customers, the rhythm of the place. I did not realise these still existed.
I ordered Mee Rebus.
At the table beside me sat a Malay chap having Mamak mee goreng for lunch, and a Chinese chap eating a non-halal dish. Both were completely comfortable with each other’s presence and preferences. I think they work at the same place.
It was business as usual in this restaurant. A halal Mee Mamak stall at one end, non-halal char koay teow at another. No issues with what the other is eating. I eat my dish, you eat yours.
To you your religion, to me mine. But we are connected in our humanity. In daily life. In earning a living. In providing for our families. And in contributing to the nation.
I like Penang that way.
Peace,
anas
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