posted by Francis Ho
I had a weakness for
junk food and snacks especially fried snacks and I stopped my car to buy some banana fritters at a food vendor at a five-footway in one of the shop houses in BDC. The man was frying some fritters then and I reached for my camera to take some snaps of the delicious golden looking fritters bubbling in the oil. Our eyes met and we smiled and we chatted while I took the photographs.
Ah Hee at 41, recently married to an indonesian girl (who is working as a domestic helper) is trying to elk out a living selling fried banana fritters the whole day, everyday of the week. He came back last year after working in Singapore for the past 7 years and started this stall about 3 months ago; working as an aircraft cleaner for ST Pte Ltd (Singapore Technologies). He found the Singapore job then from an advert in the local Chinese newspaper whilst still working as a shift worker at a ceramic tile factory in Kuching. The low pay, hard manual work and odd working hours was too much to bear and he just wanted to get out after slaving for so many years there since he left primary school to support the family. In Singapore he was paid S$55/- a day but had to folk out S$120/- a month to sleep on a metal bed along a corridor in Aljunied on top of a shophouse together with other similar blue collar workers. As a daily paid worker he is at the mercy of his employer and does not enjoy any medical benefits or leave. Cleaning of cargo aircrafts are all done manually and the daily handling of detergents and chemicals is beginning to affect his health and he decided to quit his job to come back to Kuching. He doesn’t want to get cancer or other debilitating illness that had already inflicted some of the other fellow workers. After wandering aimlessly for a couple of months doing odd jobs whenever he could find them; he decided to open the stall so that he can be his 'own boss 'and he’s glad for the routine although he can’t operate on days when it’s raining as his rented place of RM150/- is right at the edge of the five footway and it gets wet.
A gentle and soft spoken man, his smiling eyes belie a hard uncertain existence.
I couldn’t help but wondered if a similar fate awaits 13 years old Ah Yee whom I'd met last week and I started to get depressed and I tried to put this thought out of my mind.
As expected from a simple and honest person who cared about what he is selling; his banana fritters are evenly battered before frying and are delicious and sweet as the bananas were properly ripened; and he even gave me extras for taking an interest in his life. Sadly I'd seldom encounter such generousity whether in deeds or words from people who had much much more than Ah Hee; so-called 'high society' people.
So before we start ranting and bitching about our lives and our so-called problems, think of Ah Hee and count your blessings. We should be so lucky. Think about it.
Stumble It!Gd Morning Unker..another posting that makes us thinking about life eh. I think there are a lot more like Ah Yee and Ah Hee. I salute their emotional strength.
unker ah, why don't u get him a job leh?
hmmm... how could u accept extras from such a nice man, u should tip him instead.
Someone both Unker and I knows always buy stuffs from the road side peddlers in Kuching, even though he will never eats any of those things he bought. Spreading the goodwill is the message of the day.
Unker, you should buy more from him and give it to your friends and neighbours.
mistake - first thing in the morning and i see that... now i'm hungry liaw :(
9lives - yup. life must go on.
wuching - wished it was as simple as that ... but life's unfortunately not that simple
robin - by accepting whatever little he can offer, I'm givin' him regard and respect. ppl've pride n dont like to be patronised nor do they expect or want pity or charity
jeremy c - d fritters are as good as they look!
i think i'll hv banana fritters for afternoon tea break... later. :)
me too!
and as in the case of Ah Hee, bitch only when you're asked about your sucky life, if indeed it troubles you so much. Even then, focus on the bright side and plan your exit.
I'm only familiar with Kuching and Sibu as a visitor, and on foot at that. I'll be there in May, staying on Padungan, in a local (not Holiday Inn I assure you) hotel.
I walk to the Electra(area) and wonder if this gentleman is within walking distance?
it is as simple as that, just give him a job at one of your construction sites! kao dim!
Some idiotic minister used to call this goody, GorPis, short for Goreng Pisang... good stuff, but beware the oil, braddaa...
man will never satisfy so that's why we always ranting about our lives...
hmmm indeed a wise thought.. on one hand respecting his dignity,
or the other, everyone can live on an extra pcs of this yummy GorPis.
Though small but a positive step towards a better future. With a bit of determination, luck and dream, who knows one day, he may run a chain of banana fritter pushcarts. Oh, and a bit of help from the architect you to design the state of the art eyecatching pushcart. that is :)
anonymous... this guy operates at BDC, and BDC is near the housing area near the airport!!!
thanks mangroovedan for answering that! U're a most helpful person.
BDC is quite a distance (20 mins drive if no traffic) from town.
its my life story - that's a very encouraging thought! nice of you.
robin - we'll go there n patronise when u're here. u can buy up the entire whatever he has then!
wilson - speak for yourself! kekeke ;)
lrong - when u take GorPis, one've to ignore d oil lah! um GoPissz on d stoopid minis'!
wuching! hello? hello? u've obviously never worked on a construction site before! sellin GorPis is definitely a step up from that!
GorPis? hahhaa... like what unker mentioned.. it sounds like Go Piss :P
I haven't take goreng pisang for quite some time already..
might be it's time to have some? :)
Well said Mr Ho, its the stories of people like Ah Yee and and Ah Hee which subtly remind us of the little things we take for granted in life.
"Unker", thank you for bringing these stories to us. Some people, like this dude and the boy, never get what they truly deserve in life despite all the hard work they put in. I myself prefer doing business with local small business owners and not the giant organizations or even dept stores. But sometimes, I feel bad because some of these business owners are so honest and generous to a point where I feel like I'm taking advantage of them! And hence, my agreement with robin's point of view about giving them more money or tipping them. The dude should put out a tip jar. The tip's just for good service. And if anyone deserves a good tip, it's those two.
PS. I so much prefer your blog to kenny sia's. That guy talks too much about his private parts.
I had a weakness for 
As expected from a simple and honest person who cared about what he is selling; his banana fritters are evenly battered before frying and are delicious and sweet as the bananas were properly ripened; and he even gave me extras for taking an interest in his life. Sadly I'd seldom encounter such generousity whether in deeds or words from people who had much much more than Ah Hee; so-called 'high society' people.
9lives said: 
said: