Walking down fully packed in the middle of the day heat the busy main Penang road. A homeless begging for some coins. Banana peels in the ground. Personal reminder. I don't like giving money. But the chickpeas from the stall close by looking tempting. Walk over. A bag for some Ringgit. I get two. I don't like eating by myself.
'Original chickpeas' the sailor said.
'Oh from here?' my instant reply.
'No. Original chickpeas.'
'Oh, Malayan dish? Malayan chickpeas?'
'Yes. No. Original chickpeas. From north India.'
'North India?'
'Yes. Yes. Original Chickpeas. From Mexico.'
End of conversation. I must smile. Chickpea connection. Like Chai, Chillum, Chapati – just in Malaysian. We all are connected. Sitting down, chewing on my first freshly steamed o r i g i n a l chickpeas from the streets of Penang. Chickpeas that travelled for centuries from Mexico to North India to Malaysia and around the globe. Just to be enjoyed by all of us, who feels like the taste of freshly steamed chickpeas. Chickpea connection.