IPOH: A single mother and her daughter brave the rain riding their motorcycle to get to a supermarket in the city that offers affordable meals under the Menu Rahmah initiative which was launched recently to help those in need.
Suhaila Badarudin, 46, said although she had to travel about 30 minutes riding her motorcycle, from her home in Sungai Siput to the Mydin supermarket in Meru, it was worth it because a variety of dishes was served at the premises.
“My 17-year-old daughter and I braved the rainy conditions as there is a cheap meal here. Usually, this kind of meal, which consists of white rice, chicken curry, stir-fried bean sprouts and mineral water, is priced between RM8 and RM10,” said the mother of three to Bernama at the Mydin supermarket, Meru, here today.
“We don’t aim to eat too much, just to be able to fill our stomachs. With the price of RM5, I can buy two to three packets for me and my children for lunch,” said Suhaila, adding that she was grateful for the government’s move to introduce the Menu Rahmah initiative.
Meanwhile, an employee at the premises, who only wanted to be known as Muhammad, said that the response from the customers was very encouraging, such that they had to top up side dishes three times to cater for the demand.
“We don’t prepare the side dishes in large quantities, because we want to maintain the quality of the food and avoid waste. When we cook in moderate quantities, the quality of the food will be more guaranteed, and even now, there is no wastage and the side dishes sold out at 8 pm,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Ezayddy Mohd Sofian, 41, operator of the Nasi Ayam Viral Klebang Putra restaurant, in Chemor, also responded to the government’s call to prepare the Menu Rahmah Menu, as his own initiative to share the sustenance with the less fortunate.
“Some people asked me if I sell chicken rice at RM4, will I make a profit? Yes I can, but I only make a little profit as I want to help ease the burden of the B40 and other target groups. Nothing wrong with that. However, because I sell in large quantities, the profit is still enough to be used to buy raw materials,” he said.
A customer, Hasliza Ahmad, 35, said after seeing the shop owner’s post on the Facebook page about Menu Rahmah, she and her husband came to the shop to taste it.
“I am happy to see many restaurants participating in this initiative. Since I have a large family, I can buy in large quantities. Usually, the price of chicken rice in the market is around RM7 to RM10, so the price of this Menu Rahmah is affordable.
“I also hope that the government lowers the price of raw materials too, if I want to focus on Menu Rahmah alone, it may not be sustainable for me. I have four children, and a single purchase of meals (for the whole family) is already RM30. With that amount I can buy fish or chicken to feed my family for a week,” she said when met at the restaurant.
On Tuesday (Jan 31), the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) launched the Menu Rahmah, which offers a lunch or dinner meal priced at RM5 per plate, at 15,000 participating food premises nationwide. - Bernama
