Saturday, October 11, 2008

GREEN

VEGETARIANS' LIFE

This is the one and only stall that serve the meals which are base on vegetables.

Green is all about peaceful. Green is also referring to nature. Green is a color. Green is fresh. Green is plants. Wow, so many definitions we can give about green! It can become an universe topic to be discussed. In this world, maybe there are thousands people who love green color if we talk from the one perspective. But, how many people in the world really like vegetables which are in green color? Do we familiar with the vegetarian person? For me, vegetarian people are unique and I believe that every of them have their own story and reason for their style of feeding.

I’m interested to discover about vegetarian people, who are having a different feeding style from others. Actually, vegetarian or sometimes they are called veggie is someone who eats only vegetables, bread, fruit, eggs and does not eat any kind of meat or fish. However, it is a little different with vegan; who are only does not eat meat, fish, eggs, cheese or milk because of a diet style they use to do. As I know, majority of the vegetarian in Malaysia are Chinese, but they are also Indian who are become a vegetarian. Malay has only a small number who are being veggie.

Not many veggie people being vegetarian since they were young. Some of them become a veggie while teenagers and some of them start not to eat meat, fish and any kind of blooding food when they’ ve converted to the other religion. For example, Buddha is one of the religions which have many men practicing this style. The case is quiet different to Malay veggie. Usually, they cannot eat fish and meat because of allergy. I have some members who are become allergic to seafood. Allergy can affect a person in a bad way by certain thing. Sometime, people in allergic will have the skin problem. In come cases, people in allergic facing more than that, they are vomiting and having a fever. All of these due to their body element which make certain food disagree with them.

The prices at this stall are reasonable.

Veggie can be positive, but in the same time it can be negative. However, we must have a wide view towards this situation. Green vegetables provide vitamin to our bodies. Human bodies of course need this type of element to ensure our body remains healthy. Vitamin is a natural substance found in food that necessary for good health. So that, one of the advantage the vegetarian has is their body getting an enough supply of vitamin. Moreover, we can save our budget by eating vegetarians due to their prices are reasonable. For whom like to planting, they can eat green plants only from their own farm.

Now, what is the disadvantage that veggie faced? Actually, they have no chance to taste all kind of food in her life. It is a most big loses Maybe some of them never know how delicious and tasty fishes and meats are. Sometimes when they are involuntary have eaten foods that contain those kind of raw materials they will feel not comfortable in the bodies. It is not impossible to be happened because there are so many mix components in a kind of already made food. So, vegetarian must beware and always alert in order to set their menu.
Mr. Teh always cares about his customers satisfaction.

One of a stall which is selling food consist of vegetables have already operational about five years. Mr. Teh, a Chinese man started his business at one of cafeteria in UPM since 2002 however is not a veggie. He interested in selling this kind of dishes because he thought not all students can eat meat. Therefore, he decides to open a vegetarian food stall and get the sources from the suppliers around Serdang. Many of raw materials he gets are not too expensive. The cost for those materials depend to their making process. Majority of dishes that his stall serve base on Soya bean. He not cooks meals by himself, but he has three employees who are working as chefs in the stall. The entire menus are set by them. Not to be worried, all of meals at the stall are ‘halal’ and Muslim students can enjoy the dishes too.

He said that he has so many regular customers and the range profit for a day he got is about RM700. However, sometimes it is not consistent especially on weekend because majority of students were going back home. He was very happy to see customers welcome and like that kind of cooking. He believe that from a time to time, his customers will increase because non-veggie person also can try the cooks. One thing that he shared with me is about the challenge he faced to attract Muslim’s customer at first because they doubted towards meals’ status. However it takes not too long for him to make customers realize that all meals are ‘halal’.
One of the customer who came to the stall for lunch.

I’m lucky because at the time of interviewing, I met a customer who is also a vegetarian. So, I took the opportunity to ask permission from her to sit together while talking about his green meal style. Irene Tan, a Master program’s student told that she became a veggie since she was at the primary school. For her, it is as a tradition in the family because her whole family members are vegetarian. If many years ago, there are less supplier who have provided sources of veggie food, but it is different now. There are so many choices of food based of vegetable are sold everywhere. Some of the raw materials are imported from Taiwan and Japan.
They became a vegetarian since they were young.

She has became a totally veggie now due to her health problem. She has allergic to seafood, and of course because she has already trained not to eat meat, it becomes a habit and style in her life. She never disappointed even she has a desire to eat all kind of food because she is one of food lover. “However, I realized on my situation and I’m glad for I still can eat. I love myself more than taking food that I can’t”, she proceed her talk in smiling. I believe that being a veggie is an experience that not all people will go through in life. Anyway, green vegetables will always be the best for most vegetarians.

FISHING


FISHING CRAZINESS

Are you one of fishing addicted? Fishing becomes most popular hobby among teenagers and adults. If we ask a fishing lover on why they do like this activity, of course there are many different answers we get. It is not about why they love to fishing, but it is all about what they would get by fishing. Of course the main answer is fish, but without our knowing most of them earns a satisfaction. Believe it or not, person who is really addicted to this activity will sacrifice his money to buy all the tools for fishing. Some of them do not mind to spend time for fishing for many hours, as long as they want.

For some people, it is an enjoyable activity because they can release their tension by doing fishing. The happiest moment for them when the bait has been eaten by the fish. Because many people start to realize about its advantages, more people in all ages go for fishing at the leisure time nowadays. Every weekend we can see many people, from young child to adult are crowded in the lakes area, besides at the rivers and ponds. So that, no wonder in the activity becomes one of the co-curriculum activities in collages or universities. Because of this good effort, there are many students can grab the chance to learn the skills on how to fishing, at least at the basic level.

The club members are focusing when the tutor briefing before they have started a practicle session.

Before this, I do not know a lot about fishing. It is because I am not really interested towards this activity because it seems to be boring. However, when I go and make a survey on Fishing Club’s activity which is hold every Saturday at Bukit Ekspo, Serdang, I set my goal to find more details of this activity. The activity is under Co-Curriculum Centre Unite has the main mission; which is want to expose the club members with the fishing skills and techniques. The activity started at 8.30 am and there are about more than a hundred students have joined this activity. However, they are separated to many groups and each group will be conducted by a tutor.

One of the member of fishing club who is enjoying the activities.

For me, members of the club are lucky because most of the tutors are expertise in this field. Many of them have a lot of experiences in fishing and there is also the tutor who has joined a fishing competition and become a winner. Besides giving briefing to the members, tutors will conduct students on how to prepare the fishing tools, the techniques required while fishing and the terms they need to follow when they are in location. At the session, the club members can use the opportunity to ask anything about fishing and from a time to time, they will be independent. At this stage, most of fishing lover will become addicted on fishing because they have already known about what should they do and what they want.

Tutor show the right technique to set up the bite.

One of the university student I met, Goh Tan Wei said he really loved fishing since he was young. All of his family members except his father were enjoy doing this activity together. “It’s all started by my dad”, he said. His father always brings him to go fishing and gave a set of fishing tool as a present. In short, his father is the person who influences him a lot. For him, fishing giving him a time to relax. After many years, he could earn a new fishing set by his own saving. However, he will always keep the previous he had because it is too valuable for him.

Goh Tan Wei make fishing as his hobby.
Tutor show the right technique to set up the bite.

The rest of members in the club are required to have a set for each person. Even though not all members can expressed their feeling by joining this activity, but I believe that they happy to learn something about this interesting hobby. “It is not easy for me to catch up each skill that I’ve been taught, but because I’m interested, I tried to apply them in my practical session”. That is one of the expressions by a new member of the club, Sue Ying. She does not mind to have a fishing set for RM80 because she has already dreamt to have it since many years ago. The activity is such a good effort to discover a new skillful person in fishing. If the membership becomes increase in the future, maybe the grand fishing competition can be hold by offering the valuable present for the winner.

Every semester, usually all the club members will hold a visit to a grand fishing competition in order to bring them viewing the event organizing which is related to the activity. Not only they can enjoy the event, at the same time they are required to learn how the arrangement and process to organize the competition alike. By joining the club, many students admit that they are satisfying on the lesson they have got. From the club members’ feedback, I know they are in process to be crazy on fishing activity. Eventhough I never have experience, but maybe I will try it. However, anything can happened if I try to join this activity in future and it becomes my craziness hobby soon!