“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”
American track and field athlete, Jesse Owens
“CAN I buy RM3 of these?” asked the young man beside me, pointing to a plate of fried small fish called ‘ikan bulu ayam’ in Malay (scientific name: Coilia mystus).
The woman on duty at the food stall shook her head.
“You must buy each dish here for a minimum of RM5,” I told the man. The woman at the stall also told him the same thing.
“What about those bigger fish?” he asked, pointing to a plate of fried ‘ikan kembung’ (mackerel). “Same price,” replied the woman.
Apparently new to the stall, the young man also asked about the prices of big slices of fish sold there.
“They are more expensive. Each slice certainly costs more than RM5,” I told him, unable to keep my silence.
Another young man manning the stall said something to him but I could not catch what was being said.
The young customer then paid for the fast food he had chosen. I thought he was on his way out when he made a U-turn and asked for one ‘ikan kembung’.
I guess he was tempted by the look of the ‘ikan kembung’ and could not resist having at least one for his lunch.
Actually, when he was paying for his food, I wanted to tell the young man that he could buy frozen ‘ikan kembung’ from local supermarkets and fry them himself.
I find that frozen ‘ikan kembung’ in supermarkets are cheaper than those sold at wet markets. There are quite a few fish in each packet and if you live alone and don’t eat much like me, one packet is enough for three or four meals.
But ‘ikan kembung’ is not everyone’s cup of tea. Some people dislike the fish, saying that it has a strong fishy taste. Some people don’t eat frozen fish and some people don’t eat small fish ‘ikan bulu ayam’ and ‘ikan kembung’.
But for me, a fish is a fish. Having come from a poor family, I’m grateful for whatever fish I can buy and eat.
My encounter with the young man at the food stall set me thinking. “Does he live alone or is he staying with friends? Does he cook at home and is he allowed to cook at home?”
For your information, my friends, I live alone with my dogs. Most of the time, I cook at home for my dogs and myself. What I cook is my dinner in the office; I find it inconvenient to go out for dinner when I have a huge workload waiting for me to clear.
There are days, however, when I am lazy and decide to buy my dinner on my way to work.
Now, come to the last question I was asking about the young man. “Is he allowed to cook at home?”
Do you know that some landlords do not allow their tenants to cook at all?
My niece, who’s working in Singapore, has such a landlord. So she has all her meals outside.
Long ago, when I was young and renting a room in Kuching, the landlady just allocated a small space for my brother and I to do our cooking. The space was enough for a kerosene stove. That inspired us later to rent a house and eventually buy our own house so that we would have enough space to do all the cooking we wanted.
Yesterday, I met the young man because I was patronising the fast food stall. Personally, I believe it is better to work on a full stomach. Hence, I always make sure I eat and drink well before turning up at the office.
My friends, do you know that my desk is well stocked with different types of coffee and tea, noodles as well as tidbits to keep the adrenaline flowing? If there is an emergency in the office, I will definitely not starve.
I notice that the prices of food in my local kopitiam (coffee shop) have gone up a lot in the past one year. I used to pay RM2.20 for a glass of iced coffee. Now, the beverage costs RM2.40.
I try to reduce the amount I pay for the fast food daily by limiting my choices to two dishes only. For example, yesterday, I paid RM5 for four pieces of braised soya sauce chicken and fried bittergourd. If I had ordered more dishes, I would have to pay more.
I find that it is expensive to eat big fish at the fast food stall. Two vegetables dishes and a piece of big fish can easily cost more than RM10. It is cheaper to eat chicken or pork.
Sometimes, I bring a dish that I have cooked at home to the coffee shop. It could be fried anchovies or fried eggs just to add more flavour to my lunch.
No doubt, there are some people who can afford to patronise expensive eateries and eat expensive food every day. Blessed are these people. But generally, times are hard for the average folk and I think it is up to each and everyone of us to learn how to survive the best we can in this big, big world. Good luck, my friends.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune.
