RAIN OR SHINE: Despite a heavy downpour yesterday, business was running as usual for KL lemang sellers along the Jalan Damansara hotspot. Pix: Ida NadirahKUALA LUMPUR: The phrase 'business as usual' applies during rain or shine, and even on Hari Raya.

This is the reality for lemang sellers in the Klang Valley, even in the middle of a heavy rainstorm.

 

The stretch of stalls along Taman Tun Dr Ismail have become a mainstay every time Hari Raya comes along. As early as a week before Raya, stalls would be set up to cater for KL-ites looking for an emergency lemang solution for their catering and open house dilemmas.

Irwan Syah Hadi from Batu 6, Gombak, might only be 19, but he’s already an old hand at running his family’s lemang business. Since primary school, he has been helping his family man their stalls in pasar malam and Ramadhan bazaars.

The Form 6 student says ever since he began helping his father sell lemang for Raya six years ago, he has yet to experience celebrating the first day of Raya.

"At first, it was sad for me, seeing friends and relatives celebrate Raya on the first day. We don't normally go home until we've sold out all the lemang. This would mean we'd only celebrate on the third or fourth day of Raya.

"But eventually I got used to it. It’s just life," Irwan (left) told Malaysian Digest yesterday.

However, Rini Aubraini Suni has no such problems with working on Hari Raya. The 23-year-old has been running her family business for the last three years after finishing college.

"I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything, such as not being able to go back to my kampung and celebrate the first day there. I have my family here and we'd go back to Teluk Intan together once we've sold all the lemang," she said.

She runs the lemang stall with her fiancée, his brother and her aunt and said she is more than happy to do business, come rain or shine.

Rini, who is a full-time marketing agent, said her family also does other business, such as running a tudung and headscarves shop in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

"Demand for lemang is good every year. Surprisingly on Raya morning, we get mostly Chinese customers!" she quipped.

Another old hand at selling lemang along Jalan Damansara is Gesmita Udin, 48, who has been trading in the same spot for over 10 years. She said despite the increasing number of traders at the location, business remains good as the demand is always there.

The long stretch of lemang stalls set up along Jalan Damansara."Where I come from in Gombak, the market is too saturated and there's too much competition. There are just too many lemang sellers there.

"Here, demand is high and supply is limited compared to other places," said Gesmita.

Her family also has an unusual Raya tradition, whereby her children and grandchildren would congregate at her stall on Raya morning to celebrate.

"It really doesn't matter where I celebrate my first day of Raya, as long as my family is with me. My daughter, who is a nurse in Klang Hospital, would come with her family and kids to the stall before they go off visiting other relatives and friends," she said.

 

- mD

 

- mD wishes all its readers a Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha! -

 

 

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