IT IS sometimes said, “we eat with our eyes” which means to refer to food that is visually appealing.
However, this saying can possibly be extended to the cook or food vendor. As highlighted in the Borneo Facebook page, scores of hungry men have been flooding a mi kolok stall in the Pending Food Court in Kuching.
Why?
To get an eyeful of the glamorous looking daughter of the towkay who is often seen preparing bowls of mi kolok looking very much like a catwalk model rather than a noodle seller.
While tastebuds and preferences may differ, FocusM will just let the pictures speak for themselves. Suffice to say, the young lady certainly looks out of place behind a noodle stall. That is not to suggest she is doing anything untoward or indecent.
Needless to say, there were more than a few cheeky comments with a few questioning if the attire was suitable or even hygienic for food preparation.
One commenter was sure the stall would fail a food inspection by the Health Ministry (MOH) while a few asked if there were courses on food handling when applying for an F&B (food & beverage) license.
The proper attire for those preparing food was outlined by one netizen. Stating that “local councils were lax with rule breakers”, he lightheartedly invited all and sundry to whet their appetites at the mi kolok stall.
One netizen commended the towkay for his clever “marketing strategy”. She quite rightly pointed out that if the young lady was unattractive, it’d invite all sorts of snide comments.
Asking the pertinent question, one lady asked if this mi kolok would be pricier.
Some netizens who didn’t see the funny side of it pointed out that it is unfair when other food traders are fined for not adhering to relevant dress codes. More than few urged the authorities to take action.
One surmised that the mi kolok mustn’t be very tasty to require such advertising stunts. It was simple enough a tactic to attract male attention ensuring a bustling crowd.
Sexualising women to sell a product was simply disgusting, declared one netizen who went on to claim that the mi kolok seller in question didn’t have any self-respect.
However, these negative remarks were swept aside by one commenter who claimed such reactions were a reflection of an “overzealous attitude”.
All said and done, sexuality sells even if it is just a bowl of mi kolok. But the fact that vendor is probably breaking quite a few rules on food handling remains a valid one.
The post has already generated over 6.8K likes, 3.3K comments and over 2.9K shares at the time of writing, thus ensuring that the glamorous mi kolok seller gets plenty of publicity!
All this attention may lead to a change in name for the food court to ‘Pening Food Court’ (Headache Food Court). – April 25, 2025
Main image credit: Sarawak Foodie
