Othman (left) and his helper Hasmadi Mohd Affandi show their thumbs-up for the camera at the stall in Sibu Town Square’s Ramadan bazaar.
SIBU: Working under the hot sun, in rainy days and amidst stormy winds is never a problem for veteran food trader Othman Mohd Bujang.
The 63-year-old former army man runs a night stall at Taman Harmoni here selling various street-food fares like fried noodles, fried rice and ‘rojak sotong’.
However, this stall would become vacant throughout the fasting month as Othman and his lot move to the Ramadan bazaar at Sibu Town Square.
This Sri Aman native never misses a day trading at the bazaar every year.
“Well, it is all about the hard work to gain extra incomes to pay my bills and also to prepare for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“It gets busy every Ramadan. Whenever I reach home late at night, all I want to do is to crash into my bed and sleep. Not that I’m complaining – this is only once a year and the sales have been good. I’m able to support my family and I can pay my bills,” he told The Borneo Post at the town square here yesterday, where he was busy grilling chunks of chicken, beef and mutton at his stall.
According to Othman, preparation for his Ramadan stall begins at 4am daily and by 11am, everything is ready to be transported to the bazaar.
However, grilling would only starts after he is sure that his stall is clean. From there, he would continue grilling and barbequing till 7pm – more or less the time for ‘buka puasa’ (break-of-fast).
Othman and his family settled here in 2007 after years of moving from one place to another running his food business.
“This is how I earn my living. As long as I can put food on the table and pay my bills, I do not mind moving around. In this regard, I’m very blessed to have a family that is always there for me, helping me with this business and supporting me as much as they can,” he said.
Othman said he served in the army for 21 years, adding that he joined the forces to help his siblings continue their studies.
“I could only study up to Form 2. Of my 10 siblings, four had passed away. I’m the seventh child.”
Asked about his hope for this year’s Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, Othman said he would want to continue earning his livelihood, paying his bills and supporting his family ‘without any problem’.