BY LEONG Z-KEEN AND SAMUEL KARUNIA KORNO
KUCHING: Stall owners of the Emart Batu Kawa Ramadan Bazaar are looking forward to enjoying brisk sales of their various local delicacies and concoctions.
The bazaar’s illuminated rows of stalls beckoned visitors with vibrant decorations, enticing customers with various choices ranging from thirst-quenching coconut juice, flavourful turmeric fried chicken, spicy grilled squid with sambal, mouthwatering ‘shawarma’ (chicken) wraps, and an assortment of other tempting offerings available for purchase.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian officiated at the opening of the bazaar on Tuesday (Mar 12) and it will run daily from 2 pm to 7 pm until April 7.
New Sarawak Tribune managed to speak to several vendors to gather their views on the expectations of their sales and response of customers during the fasting month.
AZHAR AUZAIE MARIZAN, 29
Coconut and sugarcane juice vendor.
This is my second time setting up a coconut and sugarcane drink stall at this bazaar here. I also sell whole coconuts for my customers who want to drink fresh coconut juice. I also have a few stalls set up around Stutong area with each of them selling apam balik, lamb shanks, and fried crab. I would love to do business in this bazaar again if I get the chance because it brings me joy when I do something during the Ramadan season.
AZRIN RASDI, 36
Grilled seafood vendor.
This is our second time participating in this bazaar and our stall’s speciality would be our grilled squid, grilled shellfish, grilled fish and the ikan terubok perkasam, especially the grilled items. Besides this, I also sell my items at a night market at Uptown, Kota Samarahan, Desa Ilmu during Friday and Saturday nights.
SABREENA SULAIMAN, 44
Roti John vendor
This is my second time selling my kebabs and roti john in this bazaar. On a good day, I am optimistic of selling 50 wraps of kebabs and 50 rolls of roti john similar to last year’s brisk sales. Since today (March 12) is the first day of Ramadan, we managed to sell 18 rolls of roti john and 35 wraps of kebab, with customers mostly comprising students coming here for lunch.
SITI NUR FAUZIANTY, 31
Yoghurt drink vendor
This is my first time setting up my stall at this bazaar and the unique thing is that we are introducing our newly created brand, D’king Yogurt which is sold at RM4 for a cup. Our special Yogurt Mix is our best seller here priced at RM5 per cup and there are also some other favourites such as the Belgium Chocolate and the French Cookie drinks. I aim to sell around 200-300 cups of all varieties daily throughout Ramadan by offering the best for our customers.
