SEREMBAN, June 18 — Beef noodles is one of the recommended must-have meals that anyone wanting to visit Seremban will be told to have.

And top of the list is the 80-year-old original stall that is located at the Seremban wet market in town (it just reopened today after being closed for months due to the Covid-19 pandemic).

It has managed to thrive and many other restaurants have spawned from this humble stall.

The owners of the stall have not only had to go through the trying times of Covid-19 but also a fire in November 2017 that destroyed 90 per cent of the premises’ first floor.

They along with other stall owners plied their trade at the parking lot under the hot sun.

The hawkers had to wait for about two months until repair and maintenance works were completed before they were allowed to operate again and this affected their business.

Three years later, the same hawkers are facing another unprecedented challenge — the Covid-19 pandemic that also saw two traders testing positive.

It slowed business down with fewer customers visiting their stalls and with restricted opening hours.

The famous Seremban beef noodles shop owner located on the first floor of the market, Goh Chee Eng, 71, said that today was their first day of managing the stall since the movement control order (MCO) was enforced on March 18.

"Even during the early phase of the MCO where the food stalls were allowed to run their business, some hawkers opened their stalls but we only operated for a while before deciding to shutter our food stall.

"During that time, there were a lot of beef slices and noodles that we made from early hours in the morning that would be left over as lesser people would come to the stall to take away their meals.

"It was really difficult for my family and I as we were so used to entertaining and serving customers with our specially-prepared beef noodles made from scratch.

"Luckily, my husband and I applied for the government’s cash handout that allowed us to receive a sum of money to help us soldier on throughout the MCO.”

Goh and her husband are also helped by their son, Chong Khong, 37 who told Malay Mail that currently, fewer customers have been coming to their stalls as many were still afraid of Covid-19.

Chong Khong garnishing the beef noodles before serving it to a customer. — Picture by Anne Grace Savitha

"Because of this fear that they have, customers and ordinary Malaysians have turned to their creative side — which is learning how to cook and becoming culinary experts within a short period of time.

"Look at the famous YouTubers — SuguPavithra who have made a name for themselves just by cooking and posting it online so that people can learn how to cook.

"If people enjoy their home-cooked meals, why would they need to come out to buy food?”

As for the future of their business that has become famous among Seremban folks and foreigners, Goh hopes that business goes back to normal soon.

"We hope to be able to continue our family’s business that has been around for the past 80 years and to continue serving customers with our beef noodles once the pandemic is over.”

Grocery stall owner Indra Kumaran said business has been poor for him since the MCO and also since two traders were tested positive for Covid-19.

Because of the Covid-19 cases, the Seremban market was closed for a month and had only recently opened its doors during the recovery MCO period.

"This is our 16th day in operation after the market was ordered to close down because of the two Covid-19 cases and this has resulted in limited working hours.

"Before the MCO, we were allowed to operate from 5am till the evening but that has been replaced with the new working hours from 7am to 3pm.”

While most of the items in Indra’s store include spices and items such as sardines and dishwashing items, there was food that had to be thrown away because of the lack of customers to his stall.

Grocery stall owner Indra Kumaran remains hopeful that everything would be back to normal once the pandemic is over. — Picture by Anne Grace Savitha

"During the early phase of the MCO, most of my onions and potatoes had to be thrown as they were already starting to rot as a result of keeping it too long in my stall.

Indra also said that his wife and him have been bored at home without having to spend those extra hours in the market and have turned to playing board games to pass their time.

He has been operating his grocery stall for the past 30 years after taking over the business from his mother.

He remains hopeful that business will pick up despite the pandemic.

Vegetable seller Azwan Baharin, 39, said the one thing that was not the same this year was the Hari Raya celebration that was less joyous and on a budget as compared to last year.

"Luckily, I could still afford to have a Raya celebration using my savings. My children on the other hand are all working so I don’t have to worry about their finances.

"But I wasn’t able to give my relatives’ children the usual duit Raya as I was tight on money.”

Vegetable seller Azwan Baharin said that this year’s Raya was not as vibrant as the previous ones due to budget constraints and the MCO. — Picture by Anne Grace Savitha

He also said that about a week ago, he had to throw away his vegetables that amounted to RM 200 because they were kept too long without anyone buying them.

As for the future of his small business, Azwan said that he missed the old days where people used to crowd at his store to buy his vegetables.

"Now as you look around the market, it looks gloomy and I wish that more people would visit the market.”