"Nasi Lemak....nasi lemak....20 sen satu!"A glimpse of a boy carrying a basket selling nasi lemak from door to door flashed to my eyes. He put his biscycle againt the wall and took out a few folds of nasi lemak and put them in a plastic bag.
"Jual ya kak!" he took the money and pulled his bicycle away in haste, cycling and making rounds to ensure that his nasi lemak would be sold before noon.
As I drove my car this morning after sending my daughter to her school, the reminiscene of that little boy and his bicycle and nasi lemak brought back old times to mind. While his image was still flashing in my mind, I stopped by a roadstall almost knocking a sign post that was too near the road. I watched. A few stalls stood erect alongside one another. A few people were choosing and looking. Some gushed inside their car with a few plastic bags. Hungry perhaps. Or maybe there were visitors at the house.
Hesitantly, I picked the nearest stall to me. I got out of the car. A woman greeeted me with a smile.
"Nasi lemak, kak?" she asked without hesitation. A few drops or perspirations were trickling down her forehead. She flipped a row of plastic covers and exposed varieties of delicacies to choose from. One by one, I stretched my eyes covering from the nearest to the farthest that I can see. The woman waited patiently. I was still hesitant. Hmm...No, not today. No kuih for today. No sweet desserts....Just simply nasi lemak.
"Nasi lemak 4." I opened my purse.
"Ya kak," the woman quickly put the folded nasi lemak into a plastic bag.
I took the bag.
"Empat Ringgit kak," the woman flashed her teeth.
"Eh...dah naik lagi harga?" I was not amused.
"Beras dah mahal kak," the woman explained.
"Yalah," I paid the new price.
My thoughts were flying everywhere. Everything has changed. The oil price. The political scenarios. The crime levels. The good and the bandits. The cements. The food. And now the rice. My eyes flashed back to that little boy and his nasi lemak. Cycling peacefully. Only God knew what was in his mind at that time. But I was sure it was not about the hike in pricings. Maybe to him, what matter was he sold his nasi lemak and made his mom happy. The whole family can eat and live at peace.
Now, we buy our nasi lemak sparingly. Eventhough RM1 or RM 1.20 for one folded nasi lemak is still reasonable, still the price is hike. To reduce some spendings on nasi lemak bungkus, why not cook some at home for all to enjoy. Share mom's secret recipes above!
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