Kedai Cucur Udang, tauhu goreng...

I was talking to my SIL on my favourite food yesterday. Well that is one of our 'must talk' topics when we meet up. Something that we share in common. According to my dad, when you eat good (sedap) food, it makes your day. Well.. I think it is true to certain extend...what more if the food is your favourite.

Talking about food, I think the venue is not really an issue. We, Malaysians really go for the taste of the food. Venue is secondary! As long as you're comfortable, fast and good service offered, that is an excellent to me!
15 years ago, I used to have my lunch and frequented a small decent shop at Semenyih - where they sell tauhu, cucur udang, nasi ayam and kerang rebus... I can feel them all in my throat now... hehehhe...The shop was ran (and still) by a Malay family. From the cashier, to the chef and the waiter/waitress - they have family ties.

The shop, I could say is never stopped from receiving customers. Every now and then people from all walks of life and from all races enjoy the food served. But in order to secure a table (if you dine in), you have to be fast... Full House all the times. When you get yourself a table, you have to order the food on your own. I took time to familiarize myself with this "dine in rule". Failing which, you can merely get yourself drinks ..and that depends if the waiter/waitress stop by at your table!

But I guess, the food served is the sole catch! So no matter what happen, be it rain, be it weekends, you can see layers of people queuing and standing.

The tauhu goreng and cucur udang is superb! The sambal is yummylicious...And I think Semenyih is famous due to this shop...

I have never had the opportunity to go makan at this shop after I left practicing. I can only go there on weekends. Last 2 weeks we planned to have our lunch there. To my expectation the scenario is still the same. The 'dine in rule" is still enforceable and valid. I secured a table. Waited for a waiter to take orders on our drinks. I went to a counter where a lady kept on on cutting the tauhu and cucur udang into pieces. Before I approached her, there was a man standing in front of me queuing for order. "Dah habis".... the lady said.. without looking at us. I know that lady... She was in her teen maybe...when I first came to the shop and she was the cashier and still the cashier... (how time flies... !!)

We left the shop...On the way back I told my other half ... the owner never changed at all. When I frequented the shop, I think the owner has already ran the business for quite some years. And it has been more than 20 years... the shop is still the same... the service is still the same....you have to rush for your own orders ... the only thing that they maintain is the taste of the food!

I believe if the same opportunity is given to a Chinese man... he might have built a chain of family business... offering good food with superb customer service. I ask myself what is in the mind of that Malay man for not even do an extension of his shop (that equals to having more tables to serve more customers). What is so freaking difficult to do that! The business has been running for years...and layers and layers of people keep on buying / having food and there's no improvement at all????

I told my other half, if I were to be the owner, I might have chains of restaurant... I might have diversified my business... Its just that I don't have the  opportunity...

"That's the difference between Malay businessman and Chinese businessman" - an answer from my other half. I tried to rationale the situation and giving the owner of the shop couple of scenarios...analyzing his inability to grow the business...

If the Chinese is given this opportunity... they will grow and transform the business..
Again, this is not about being a Malay or Chinese.. this is about the ability and willingness to transform for good or remain stagnant to be complacent and in comfort zone..

In the end I couldn't find any significant and good reasons to defend the owner...
At this point of time I think the statement by my other half is VALID!