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It started out simply enough. The questing knight in me had been contemplating on getting some hands-on retail experience by setting up stall at a flea market. Having worked as an employee for umpteen years, I figured a flea market would be the perfect venue to test my entrepreneurial skills. No long term commitment - just rent the space, set up shop for the day, do your thing, and walk away relatively unscathed due to the minimal investment required. Before procrastination paralysis hit me, I got my sister to be my partner in crime. We went ahead to book a stall for the monthly flea market at Sunway Lagoon Club. Of course, we had no idea what we were going to sell but hey, like what Starship sang “Nothing’s gonna stop us now....”
We ended up deciding that we’ll just bake some stuff for our little flea market venture. We figured out the fancy name...we would “brand” ourselves SweeTooth. That’s when the easy part of this whole adventure ended. The subsequent process of selecting what to bake induced several migraines. Having a weakness for acronyms, I came up with the S.M.A.R.T. guidelines to decide what to make :
1. Simple and quick to make – throw in all ingredients, pop in oven and kapow! It’s ready!
2. Marketable – Malaysians are a conservative bunch. Another sister of mine related how she tried a hand at selling ice cream before. She had a bunch of exotic flavours but guess what the best sellers are? Yup, chocolate and vanilla. So, we had to make items which were familiar and yet a bit unique so that people are willing to part with their dough... for some of our dough (ok, ok, bad joke).
3. Ages well – the stuff had to be storable for at least a couple of days...we are ethical business people after all. But without using any added preservatives. After all, being preservative –free was going to be one of our selling points.
4. Real affordable – Pricing was pretty tricky. We couldn’t really push down the costs that low as we had no economies of scale. And we were buying most stuff from the usual supermarkets. So, we had to make sure we kept our prices within range that people are still willing to part with their dough...for some of our dough (not that funny second time round too huh?)
5. Transportable – it would be pretty darn annoying if all the cookies had crumbled by the time we were ready to set up shop...
Our final S.M.A.R.T. selection consisted of cookies, muffins and brownies. I have a confession to make though. I broke the very important S.M.A.R.T rule no 1. I decided to go ahead to make icing-decorated heart-shaped sugar cookies. Due in no small part to my elder’s sister’s advice to do something Valentine related. And also images of lovelorn men queuing up for my cookie was very persuasive too. This was a decision that resulted in many, many, MANY hours of additional back-breaking labour (thanks a lot, sis)....
The Killer Cookies
Four days before the event, I plunged headlong into baking hell. I started out full of steam but became a shrivelled up balloon by day 3. Hellish visions still flash through my mind as I write this....FLASH! That’s me, continuously baking of cookies and muffins till 2 am in the morning... FLASH! That’s me, endlessly icing heart-shaped sugar cookies till 3am...FLASH! Me again, in an never ending cycle of washing up of pots, pans, spoons...FLASH! Whaddya know? Me, packing and re-packing cookies, making sure there were no oily stains on the packing paper...FLASH! Me with the aching feet, spinning head and breaking back...
I could barely walk on flea market day. It was only through great mental strength and will power that I survived. Of course, thoughts of bountiful coffers full of RM didn’t hurt either. Alas! The foot traffic at the flea market was pitiful to say the least. The sparse crowd consisted mostly of harassed parents dropping off kids for swimming, taekwondo, tennis and various Sunday activities. No one came intending to spend money – not after paying up for all those extra-curricular activities for their kids. We tried desperately to make eye contact at everyone who passed. If we were lucky, our victim would feel obliged enough to stop by the stall for a browse. Even launching guerrilla attacks with our sample tray did not work as well as we had hoped. Was it only us or did every other stall have a bad day? It brought relief, albeit a small one, when we noticed sales was pretty poor at all the other stalls too. At the end of the day, we packed up and left...we were in the red. All that hard work for naught...
Before tears start welling up in your eyes, this story does have a happy ending. Friends, colleagues and ex-colleagues digged deep and bought most of our leftover stock, enabling us to make a teeny weeny profit! (very teeny only, guys... I did not rip you off!) . While disheartened that we didn’t become the next big thing after Martha Stewart, we did get some encouraging responses on our products. Some family and friends are now suggesting we try this out a couple more times at busier places – an optimist is even projecting thousands of RM in turnover daily! But can you imagine the amount of baking I’d have to do???? I’m still mulling this over and thinking if my body can withstand another onslaught. On the other hand, as I am pondering this matter, the popular Cantonese saying comes to mind - “Ngo pat yap tei yoke, sui yap tei yoke?”....
6. Arrange mandarin oranges (which you can definitely forage from your Mum’s kitchen) on a platter in a heart formation and write a note declaring your undying love. A variation includes drawing faces on the oranges making kissy faces....
5. Wait till Chap Goh Mei, put some oranges in a nicely decorated basket and take your partner to the nearest bridge/ river/ beach. Tell him/her to throw the oranges one at a time and catch every single one even if it kills you.
4. Collect all your angpows into a nice little Valentine’s paper bag and present it as your first step towards saving for your future together. Best thing about this move is that you should be able to keep the money...for now at least....
3. Reserve the choicest piece of roast duck leg, wrap it in pastel wrapping paper as you would a flower and tie it up in a ribbon. Accompany with packet drink of choice. Find a nice little quiet spot at night in the park, or at the lake, or beach, or even out in the garden at your house. Then do the “you one bite”, “I one bite” routine. Guaranteed to send shivers down anyone’s spine...
2. Do your own spin on a CNY song.... Instead of “Gong Xi, Gong Xi, Gong Xi Ni...”, do “Ai Sze, Ai Sze, Ai Sze Ni....” Just make sure the lyrics has a lot of references to “Ai” and “Ni”. Can’t go wrong with a good song....
1. The number 1 life saver for Valentine’s Day – CNY 2010... Say you love him/ her, admit how much you have taken him/ her for granted, promise you’ll be considerate, loving and supportive, and execute all the lifesavers listed above!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Every Chinese New Year (CNY), I dutifully make the 2.5 hour journey from Kuala Lumpur to my Dad’s hometown, Batu Gajah. I have been having reunion dinners in Batu Gajah without fail since.... forever. Except for that couple of years when I was slogging my way through university in a foreign land. Reunion dinners were boisterous and informal affairs. My Dad had 13 other siblings, who had gone forth and multiplied. And 2-3 decades ago, this multiplication process produced an average of 4-5 offsprings. Applying basic Ilmu Hisab skills, you can imagine how many people and children were packed into the narrow wooden shophouse my grandparents called home.
Since there were many mouths to feed and space was a limited commodity, we had to stagger our feasting into two distinct waves. Wave 1 was where the kids were given 10 minutes to pile on our plates, and clear out of the way. Wave 2 was for the grown-ups to settle round the table for the “real” reunion dinner. For Wave 1 participants, dinner was best eaten in front of the TV, watching corny CNY specials. Getting the best seats in front of the TV was a competitive sport worthy of the Olympics. You needed fast reflexes and a quick eye to stake your claim on available chairs and stools. Since almost all chairs were occupied by the adults at the dinner table, the pickings were indeed slim. The most prized piece of furniture usually up for grabs was an old rattan chair. It had arm rests and a back – perfect for relaxing in while shoving your face and watching Pesta Angpow. Chair-less losers end up having meals on the floor – this was not particularly pleasant since we all stomped in and out of the old house with our shoes on. After picking the most comfortable chairs/ stools, the action continues with the race to bag the most strategic spot. Too slow and you’ll be staring at the back of someone’s head instead of enjoying the wonderful spectacle of dancers bopping to the tune of “Kong Si Kong Si Kong Si Ni”.
I really looked forward to the food too. Never mind that the same dishes were cooked up every year. There are happy memories abound of me rubbing my distended stomach with deep satisfaction. Though not very Hokkien in practise, I am a true blue Hokkien in descent. This is reflected clearly in the staples that make their regular appearance at the reunion dinner table....
1. The cucumber – slightly pickled in sugar and salt, then stir fried with some chillies and liver
2. The turnip – sliced into thin strips and stir fried with dark soy sauce
3. The “man chu keok” – pork knuckles simmered over slow fire with spices, sometimes with some chillies for extra kick
4. The “man ngap”– the stewed duck can come in three main variations, "foong ngap", “keong nga” with young ginger, or “hoi sam” with sea cucumber
5. The pig stomach pepper soup – good to the last drop
6. The steamed white chicken – mandatory for prayers and offerings to the ancestors, the accompanying chilli sauce usually makes or breaks this dish
7. The roast meats – roast pork, roast chicken, bbq pork... you can’t go wrong with these
8. The “nga ku” – fried with “nam yu”, these delicious little morsels are a perennial favourite
9. The Cina kuih – at least that’s what we call it. This deserves special mention as no one in the family makes it for CNY anymore. Made of rice flour, this steamed cake was often the preferred carb alternative to plain rice. It was delicious with any of the sauces from the pork knuckle or duck dishes. And the fun part was, you get to cut chunks out from the huge pan with just string....
Since my grandparents passed on, our reunion dinners have shrunk somewhat in size and grandeur. Some don't make the journey back anymore. As the family tree branches out further, the original nucleus grows smaller. But as families grow within families, they are also starting their own reunion dinners. While some of the old ways die off, new traditions continue to be forged. I do look back on the past with some nostalgia but I also look forward to equally (if not more) happy gatherings in the future too. I am lucky in that my family still makes time for reunion dinners. We catch up with relatives, stuff our faces and enjoy the camaraderie. In the end though, as long as kinship and familial ties remain dear to us, it really shouldn’t matter what form the reunion takes place – a holiday, a dinner, a party.... And as long as the ang pows keep rolling in right???
Outlook in 2010 for those born in the Year of the Rat....
You are one LUCKY rat! The Tiger and the Rat are close friends indeed! This is an auspiscious year for everything! Family, friends, love, health, income - you name it, you got it. Happiness is in abundance and you will find your meaning of life. You will be tremendously loved as always! You will enjoy close and good relationships with everyone. You will be fit as a fiddle and win some marathons. You will excel on all that you decide to do. You will come upon an unexpected windfall which would take you travelling to exotic and beautiful places. Your career or business will rise and soar like the eagle. Riding on the back of the great Tiger, ROAR (squeak!) loud and ROAR (squeak!) clear together in 2010!
Happy New Year everyone!
I survived the flea market experience. Am totally exhausted. I felt like my brain would not function anymore for the next 10 years. Will let the pics speak for themselves at this point till I recover enough brain power for a proper entry....
This is a short short entry. My sister and I will be operating a stall at the flea market in Sunway Lagoon Club this Sunday, 07th February. We're baking some stuff for sale - as I've told many friends...guarantee not good but definitely must buy! Will be catching up on the blog again after this whole retail experience is behind me. Details as follows - hope to see you there!
