PETALING JAYA: Nasi lemak seller Mary has returned to the streets of Taman Desa in Kuala Lumpur with her trolley after business took a dip.
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But Nurajahan Mariamah Abdullah, better known as Mary, told FMT it was a temporary measure.
Although she was thrilled to obtain a stall, she said business had not been encouraging because of its hidden location on Jalan Desa Utama.
“Many of my customers are having a tough time locating the stall. I tried to send them the location but they still had difficulty looking for it,” explained Mary, adding that her customers also preferred the convenience of having her deliver the nasi lemak to them.
The stall is still running from 7am to 10am with the help of her sister, but to attract customers, Mary pushes her trolley around Taman Desa to inform people of the location of her new stall.
“I’m sad to learn that people are posting photographs of me, claiming I am back on the streets, but this is a temporary way of informing my customers who are unaware of where my stall is and I hope people will understand this.”
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Before this, Mary was working as a cleaner but she lost her job in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
She then resorted to selling her nasi lemak and mee hoon on a trolley from 6.30am to 11am at the Taman Desa neighbourhood.
Mary lost her husband to a heart attack six years ago and has taken on the responsibility of caring for her mother and three children.
Hearing of her plight, the Federal Territories ministry provided her assistance by granting her a hawker licence and a stall in the area. The Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Indian Chambers of Commerce helped by buying her a bigger rice cooker to cater to the increasing orders.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok also paid a visit to Mary, donating groceries such as cooking oil, rice, eggs and sugar. She said then her office would buy 30 packets of Mary’s nasi lemak for a month to further help her out. -FMT