With the rising cost of food and living standards in general, it’s getting harder and harder to simply afford a decent and basic meal. Fortunately, plenty of eateries all over Malaysia offer free meals to those who simply can’t afford to feed themselves.
Recently, in a similar case, a Sarawak stall owner decided to offer free noodles to those who can’t afford a meal in hopes of lessening the burden faced by his customers.
His initiative recently went viral after photos of his banner advertising free meals were circulated on social media platforms.
On the banner which was placed at his store, it reads, “If you are facing difficulties and are hungry, you can come to my stall. Just tell me you want to order a bowl of ‘We Will Meet Again Noodles’. Once you’re done eating, feel free to just leave. Don’t feel ashamed or guilty.”
“I just hope that in the future, when you are in a position to do so, you will also help others who are in need. Thank you”, his banner reads in both Mandarin and BM.
Inspiration behind it
In an interview with Sin Chew Daily, the stall’s owner, Qiu Kongyuan, said that he hopes that in doing so, those who may not have money to spend on food can still have decent meal at no cost.
The banner, which was written by his wife, has attracted quite a number of people who have ordered his free noodles since the day it was displayed. Qiu claims that he has given away as many as 10 bowls of noodles to date.
Qiu who has been running his stall for 6 to 7 years, said that he was inspired to do so after providing meals to a frequent customer of his who appears to suffer from a learning disability.
The customer would occasionally pay RM2 for his noodles, and sometimes he would even forget to pay and just leave, yet, Qiu never once asked him to pay the full amount due, as he assumes that he could not afford it.
He stated that as the economy is not great, he believes that there are other people like his frequent customer who might be facing similar hardships, which led to him to come up with the initiative.
“I do this so I can give back to society. As for how long I can afford to keep giving away ‘free noodles’, I will continue to do so as long as I still have the ability to do it,” he said.
For those looking to show the him some support, you may find his store, ‘First Cafe Noodles’ at Lorong Desa Senadin 2C-1, Desa Senadin, Off Jalan Lutong-Kuala Baram, 98000 Miri, Sarawak.
What a great initiative by Qiu! We hope that this will inspire other eateries to follow in the same footsteps.
Also read: WATCH: Restaurant in Kedah Praised For Offering Free Meals, Won’t Even Accept Monetary Donations
