CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

One hotel which appears to be taking its corporate and social responsibilities seriously is Traders in Penang, to the extent that they are holding a two-day fair which will be opened by Dato' Kee Phaik Cheen today.

As we were there for the first of The Brasserie's Wine Dinners (they are planning to do this once a week only but more of that next time) we were afforded a sneak preview of one of the exhibitions: Royal Terengganu Songket, the cloth with gold or silver threads handwoven into it which only royalty could wear previously.

There will also be other things on display: art, books and get this - a Penang Hokkien Dictionary written by, of all things, a Dutchman Luc de Gijzel. That should be interesting. After all, even as a native Hokkien speaker I have difficulty thinking up words in the dialect. Like can you imagine the word for "the bit at the top of your mouth between the lip and the nose" - I can't even think what it is in ENGLISH let alone Hokkien!! And I wonder how he will get on with the intonations. I am told Hokkien has at least SEVEN if not EIGHT, and even I struggle with some and get them wrong.

Khoo Salma Nasution, our eminent historian, will also be launching her new book "Heritage Houses of Penang". I look forward to that too, as she is an admirable writer who is passionate about preserving everything about this island and state.

Anyway back to the songket: patronised by HM The Queen of Malaysia, there will be a magnificent display of the cloths and products made using it. According to Roslan Wilkinson, who's in charge of the project, they are trying to revive the industry, once solely an East Coast female occupation which earned them pittance, and striving to bring it up to date and the patterns now reflect the times. Get the gorgeous peacock dress in the pix. You'll see it there in pride of place.