While debatable in nature, good food can be hard to come by – and good food at a reasonable price can be even harder to crack down. These are the reasons why, when we discover a new eatery that nourishes us with pure satisfaction without making us dig for coins in the depth of our pockets, we store that place for a rainy day should we ever crave good food while on a budget.
One Malaysian woman named Damiana recently made that discovery after taking a trip to Kuala Kedah, where she stopped by a roadside stall and ordered a generous serving of nasi lemak for a cost that was practically trivial.
In the video posted to her TikTok page @damianajunpakartilam, Damiana shared her order of nasi lemak, which consisted of a portion of rice, fried anchovies, sliced cucumbers, roasted peanuts, sambal, and an entire hard-boiled egg. For the whole meal, Damiana paid just RM1.50.
“I swear I had the biggest culture shock after coming to Kedah! I asked the stall owner why she gave me RM3.50 in change when I paid her RM5. She said it cost just RM1.50! Is it really like this in Kedah? There’s a whole egg, not half!” wrote Damiana in the caption of her post.
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Damiana stated that the stall did not have a specific name, though it was in the area of Kuala Kedah. Shocked by the discovery, Damiana went on to reveal that other stalls near the one serving nasi lemak also had food options that were exceptionally cheap.
“Next to the mak cik’s stall was a roti canai station. It cost me only RM7.90 for four piece of roti canai, a hot cup of coffee, and tea,” said Damiana to WORLD OF BUZZ.
Initiating a massive discussion in the comments section, multiple people wondered how it was possible for the stall to maintain itself while selling food at a very low price.
Multiple people from Kedah vouched for such prices being the norm in that part of town, with one user saying that he could find nasi lemak dishes with fried chicken for as low as RM1.20. Another user agreed by saying that it could be due to the Kuala Kedah location itself, as nearby spots in Kulim would not have food with such prices.
“Nasi lemak for RM1 and iced tea for RM1 is still possible to get here. Welcome to Kedah!” light-heartedly added one user.
On the other hand, various Kedah natives addressed Damiana’s sentiment of feeling culture shocked in Kedah, saying that they feel the same inversed shock when they come to Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
“As someone who is from Kedah that resides in Selangor, I feel the poorest and don’t have money to buy anything here,” wrote another user.
Nonetheless, one user who alluded to studying in Kedah for five years even mentioned that his parents, who are from Johor, would also be shocked when visiting him due to how cheap the food is in comparison.
Watch the full TikTok video below:
@damianajunpakartilam Memang macam ni ke kat Kedah?? Telur tu sebijik bukan separuh ?? #kedah
Good food at beyond a reasonable price? We’re off to Kedah, then!
Also read: M’sians Are Tickled Over This RM1.70 Piece of Chicken Chop That’s The Size of a Cute Nugget