Tag: hawker

Shaved Ice And Light

Iced dessert from Kak Jah’s Cendol stall in front of the post office in Kuala Kubu Bahru. I poured Nescafe Ice into a take-away pack and it tasted pretty cool.

Photography Tip: It is possible to do nice food photography at a roadside hawker stall. It can be done without any additional equipment but it requires a systematic approach.

Survey the ambient light before finding a seat. Note the direction of light, plus the shadows and highlights it will cast. Then, choose a table and seating position in relation to that.

Travel food photography is not about climbing on a chair (blogger-style), taking a overhead shot and tagging it as #foodphotography.

It entails an understanding of light that you cannot control. Harness the existing ambient light and use it to shape the food or to highlight its textures.

What if the light is really bad? Don’t bother, then. Just enjoy the food. There are no laws compelling you to post every meal you had.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f4, 1/320 sec.

The Watermelon Brothers

One of the things I like about this trip is the chance to chat with local small traders. They are an important component of a small town’s economy and that role is seldom acknowledged. I asked Yusof the watermelon trader and native of Batang Kali about business at day’s end. He said he was breaking even. Yusof, who is 21, started trading when he was 11. Perhaps it is a family tradition as the younger brother who is helping him is now also 11. Small town people are friendly and are happy to chat with out-of-towners. There is one special quality about them that you will notice right away. I told Yusof he is quite enterprising and successful for his age and he replied by saying he is just doing his small part to help out the family.

Glad to feel the unique Malaysian (and Asian) cultural trait of humility alive and well in the countryside. In the city and in the corporate world, western-influenced training teach people to say “never been better” or “awesome”, even if you didn’t ask. The coaches and practitioners claim it is to reaffirm their success and to spread (or hype) positivity. On the opposite side, their rural counterparts intentionally downplay success through modest words. That I admire and respect. Nearest comfortable hotel to Batang Kali is The Leverage Business Hotel in Rawang. Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f7.1, 1/100 sec.

Slow Down: Kids Crossing

The door-to-door ice cream man brings much joy to the children of a village in Ulu Yam. I stopped him to buy and to chat.

It made me feel silly and guilty at the same time. Silly, having had a so-called artisan elderflower-flavoured ‘ais krim potong’ (tube popsicle) for RM 8 ++ at a hipster mall with absurd parking. Guilty, because I am paying less than a ringgit for an equally tasty Wall’s Solero (imitation) here.

Of course, one can argue that many top malls charge RM15K or more for monthly rental of a cart or kiosk. For this mobile ice cream man, his overheads are petrol, dry ice and sweat. Speaking of petrol, I spent less on petrol getting here than for parking at some malls in the city.

Sucking a popsicle, hearing the breeze flapping the leaves of a banana tree. That’s life.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, 4.5, 1/800 sec.

Ribena Longan

That great Malaysian invention or concoction of Ribena blackcurrant cordial and canned longans. Some places add soda or use canned lychees instead. Next to it, is another Malaysian favourite; Milo Ice.

William’s Corner, Kelana Jaya.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 200, f4, 1/400 sec.