GEORGE TOWN – In its original incarnation, Penang’s most famous mamak cuisine, nasi kandar, was carried around by sellers on a long stick with two baskets at each end. There would be pots of rice and side dishes in each basket to be given to port workers when the island was a free-trade zone.
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and its resulting economic fallout, Malaysia’s oldest nasi kandar chain – Nasi Kandar Hameediyah – has returned to this roots in a donation gimmick to bring back that nostalgic feeling, especially to the elderly.
Last Friday, it sent out two of its workers, dressed in the traditional nasi kandar seller attire.
The outfit comprises a white shirt, kain pelikat (sarong) and a songkok, and both workers went out around George Town, particularly to the area around Penang Road close to its flagship restaurant.
The duo donated 250 packets of nasi kandar in total to the needy in Penang’s capital. That also attracted the attention of the public who were excited to see the revival of the 100-year-old culinary tradition.
Nasi Kandar Hameediyah manager Ahamed Seeni Pakir Abdul Sukkor, 66, said besides doing charitable deeds, his purpose for this action is to bring back that nostalgic feeling to their customers, especially to the elderly who misses the old days.
Furthermore, the restaurant has been freely distributing between 200 to 300 of the famous dish to the impoverished. Since last year, those who come by the restaurant get to enjoy rice topped with a melange of curries, a meat dish, vegetables and a boiled egg.
This includes customers who come to their restaurants for takeaways.
“Since last year, we have given at least 250 packets of nasi kandar every day to those who need help.
“Nasi Kandar Hameediyah is still not open for dine-in and we are aware that many people miss our cuisine. So, we took the initiative to donate food to people who cannot afford it,” he said when interviewed by reporters.
Seeni said the purpose of the donation is to also show the younger generation the unique way nasi kandar was sold in the past. This is something that has never been seen by today’s generation.
“We deliberately want to show the public how we started the nasi kandar business, as this unique tradition can only be found in Penang,” he said.
The seventh heir of the oldest surviving Malaysian nasi kandar restaurant chain said that Nasi Kandar Hameediyah will showcase the traditional method of how the rice was sold from time to time so the tradition will not die out and be forgotten, left behind in the annals of history.
Nasi Kandar Hameediyah, which was established in 1907, received the Malaysia Book of Records recognition as the Oldest Nasi Kandar Restaurant last year after 115 years of operation.
The restaurant also has branches in Sg Ara, Jalan Baru in Prai, and Kota Damansara and Ampang in Kuala Lumpur. – The Vibes, August 15, 2021
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