WHATSAMMATER WITH YOU?
The chief and the town council guys of Kuala Kangsar talked about it in a meeting after meeting, and came to an agreement to build some kinda building so the good folks of Kuala Kangsar could come out of their houses to sell laksa and cendol under one roof very much like that of the Jolly Green Giant of Bangsar.
The plan worked. The good folks of Kuala Kangsar came out in good numbers, all armed with family recipe of the laksa that had made Kuala Kangsar a town it was and they were going to show the world what laksa could do to a man like you. Or a woman - whichever comes first.
You can go visit this place by the Sungai Kuala Kangsar to eat laksa and wash it down with cendol or ais kacang or whatever you feel like drinking but not the kinda drink cowboy like to drink when they ride into town to have a good time with women dressed oh-so-pretty like a doll not to mention a bit of feather on their hairdo.
These days I've made a life out of stopping over in Kuala Kangsar on the way North to see her. And it has become my habit to ride about town looking for something to eat other than Mamak food and by a stroke of my genius luck I found this Laksa and Cendol Complex by the Sungai Kangsar but the truth is three blind mice can find this place with no problem.
The laksa came pretty quick. But whatsammater with you? This young looking girl hardly fifteen brought me a plate of laksa with gravy and a bit of sliced cucumber and a bit of lettuce. I looked up the menu board and it said right there; Laksa Telur RM2.00 ++. Mine here was Laksa kosong for RM1.30. This was not right and so I called out the kakak who looked like she owned the stall to come over real quick because this laksa crisis had to be resolved right now or else I was going to call up the king himself to deal with this issue because this here is the king's town and he ought to know what's going going on.
The kakak explained good. Laksa kosong was the laksa I had ordered and it was just that - kosong. If I had wanted telur, I should have ordered that and she'd be happy to give it to me for extra 70 sen. I said this is not right. I said kakak, this is not the way you should do business.
Laksa - the world over, is a complete food. You've got laksa made of beras or whatever and you've got gravy. And the garnishing is standard and you shouldn't charge extra for it. Oh well you can charge extra 50 sen, plus the telur. But look at my laksa kosong, it has nothing. Not even sliced chili, onion, mint or anything. This is not the right way to do business, kakak.
But she wasn't listening.
Next week I am going to go to Kuala Kangsar to start laksa business and I am going to put all the garnishing under the sun and I'll charge RM1.70 per bowl. Buy three bowls I'll throw in two free cendol. Because the folks in Kuala Kangsar don't seem to get it that laksa and the garnishing is all part of the complete dish.
Whatsamatter with these people? They are going to bring down the name of Kuala Kangsar with laksa. Which is pretty sad because it was laksa that sort of raised Kuala Kangsar a notch above the Royal Town.
I'm not trying to say nothing, but really, you folks should learn a thing or two about business from the Makcik in Kedai Payang Kuala Terengganu, or the Makcik in Pasar Khadijah in Kota Bharu.
I am not easily irritated by food or bad service or expensive food. But I get mad when people start to mess up with traditional food by not presenting it correctly, or start to be smart for their own good. Next thing you know, Laksa Kosong without the gravy. If you want the rest, you'd better pay extra. The Laksa sellers of Kuala Kangsar have no respect for Laksa. This is not right.
Labels: kuala kangsar laksa cendol
posted by Bergen at
6:56 PM
22 Comments:
Sadly, i dont think she'll ever get it berg.. but i do hope you feel better after venting it out :D
Justiffa: I didn't feel any better, neither did I hope she picked it up to be ahead of the competitive market she is operating. That complex has something like 10 stalls selling laksa and cendol. Frankly, I don't want to know who came up with the idea but all I know is, whoever he or she was, he or she has no idea what business is all about.
You came out very strong on one who mess up the laksa or did not pay much respect for it.. way to go man..
Please do it with some caution though.. it might not be too gentle on your heart..
Stay safe..y'hear
Wan Sharif: He he, I don't usually have strong opinion on anything. Food especially. I don't know what got to me that day but I just had to do something about it.
Imagine selling laksang kosong. Kalau nak belacan, lada and ulam-ulam kena bayar extra. Ada ka patot? he he.
nowadays most food sellers are like that...kedekut nak mampos...yes im a complainer and i got 2 extra pizzas and garlic bread free when my first pizza wasnt right ;)
And i dont pay when the food arrives only fit for not even my cat, and i tell them YOU eat it because im not going to because i think when you sell food, you should do it right because going home with a hungry stomach is not right either, I tell you, just as it is not right to leave your woman hungry for love and praise and attention (alamak..ader tak iras2 sket laras bahasa Bergen...hehehe)
Saya: You sound just like the real Bergen.
Sent from my iPhone
interesting, first time i heard of it, wonder if there is a demand for laksa kosong for her to have such marketing strategy. doesn't make sense otherwise. why can't she just sell laksa for rm2 and put that egg in..
cheers
Salam sir,
Come over to Kola Kedahshire and enjoy the taste of 'Laksa Telok Kecai'...Hmmmm..it tastes good with all the "accessories" including sambal nyioq...Hmmmmm..
Regards
Miss Pendangshire :)
MM: That's right. I really have no idea where it came from, selling laksa kosong and being stingy with the garnishings.
CK: Will do that, tapi after 16 Sept - tahun ni Raya kat Mekah.
That story reminds me an incident when my hbby and I went to a stall in Langkawi for Ikan Bakar.. We were famished. But when the ikan bakar came and we were about to dig in, we realised that there was no air asam that goes with it. We thought that they had forgotten about it. Then we asked the pak cik where is the air asam. That pak cik just responded by saying that there's no need for air asam because everything is poured onto the fish, meaning that the fish taste just fine without the air asam..how irritating can that be? Nobody eats ikan bakar with air asam, right?
Sharifah Rashidah: I think this trend - cutting corners and squeezing customers blind in order to make an extra ringgit is catching on. I have come across more and more traders who do this but I didn't realize it until the laksa in Kuala Kangsar incident.
It's a basic thing. If you sell nasi dagang, you know very well that the customer expects a good portion of the rice, a generous kuah, and a big chunk of ikan aye, and a couple of chili, and belimbing. This is standard. I am waiting for a makcik who charges separate for all these items. That'll be the day Terengganu will go down.
Maybe the laksa sellers in Kuala Kangsar (in that makan complex) don't realise it. But what they are doing is going will bring down Kuala Kangsar in a bad way.
I hope the king does something about it. After all, it is his town.
Salam Bergen,semoga sihat hendaknya.
Tak pernah jumpa hal macam ni kat mana2 pun sehingga kini. Kakak tu orang lokal ke?
Zabs: Tu lah saya pun tak pernah jumpa tapi kalau nak jumpa diorang ada kat tempat tu. Semua laksa sellers kat situ jual macam tu (based on their menu board).
Sent from my iPhone.
that's laksa air asia. pay extra for frills..he..he..
Wavedancer: Now that you've mentioned it I reckon that's where those laksa sellers got the inspiration to structure their price. Didn't think of that.
Sent from my iPhone.
Sir,
Forget about laksa Kuala Kangsar. Come over to Kajang. My Mom will cook for you the best laksa in the universe. Hehe.
Salaam Ramadhan to you and family :)
/f
F: Lepas raya I will be there
Salam Bergen,
Looks like its a plain daylight robbery in K Kangsor.
I thought its only the Mee Tonggek in the old Alor Setar that served Mee Goreng Kosong(well there are beansprouts in it too).
Hope they can get filthy rich by doing that!!
Tokasid: Mee Tonggek? An interesting name to call a dish which doesn't sound quite right, but interesting nonetheless. We can understand roti kosong, in fact that's the original, and some folk just like to add egg and it became roti telur - which is fine.
But laksa kosong is just like you've said - daylight robbery.
Salam Ramadhan to you and family, Doc.
I was associating this laksa kosong with the no frills now anyone can fly airplane...and aisehhh...somebody arrived here & commented oredi.
so, yes.... but alamak...hopefully dato TF didn't get any hint of this laksa kosong. Else the nasi lemak option may soon change: with daun pisang, extra RM0.75...how lehhhh?
Ibu: You've just given those guys the idea. he he
LOL @ wavedancer's "laksa air asia"! :D
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home