From Coconuts KL (http://kl.coconuts.co/2015/01/12/kajang-hopes-foodie-station-mrt-business-boom)
12 January 2015
Malaysia's plans to improve public transport is expected to alter people's way of life from allowing speedier travel to fulfilling food cravings. We visited Kajang to not only enjoy its famous satay but to find out if the new Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train services would officially mark the town as a foodie station and bring changes to the Kajang community.
Words by Susan Tam
Photos by Kamal Sellehuddin
“I would rather come to Kajang to run my errands, than head to Kuala Lumpur,” said a teacher as she compared how Malaysia's capital city fared to her hometown when it came to getting those chores done.
Thirty-eight year old Zailena Adzahar said she grew up in Kajang and at any chance she gets, she would ditch the car to hop on public transport to buy supplies at various parts of this busy town. She prefers the old town to other places. And she's excited about the new train service set to start in a couple of year's time.
“Having a MRT station in Kajang is good, the one located in the centre (of town) makes sense. The town needs it. The congestion here now rivals (that of) Kuala Lumpur,” she says as she points to the jam-packed roads on Jalan Cheras near the Kajang's main police station.
She lives on Jalan Reko and has seen how this 'small' town expanded into a bustling place. Zailena now teaches at a national school in Puchong and admits she'll happily use the MRT from Puchong to head to Kajang or her new home in Serdang if she is able to.
“Parking spaces are so few and these days people fight over them. So it's so troublesome to have to drive to places.” Zailena can't wait to teach her four-year-old son Mohd Ian Abdul Karim to enjoy the MRT rides too, and looks forward to using the services that she finds convenient to shop and enjoy Kajang's famous satay. The MRT will no doubt encourage more people to enjoy Kajang's speciality, Zailena adds.
Kajang - located 20 km from Kuala Lumpur - owes its development to the tin boom and growth of coffee and rubber estates in the early 19th century. Plantation workers made up its main residents and today is home to nearly 500,000 people.
The town is well-known for its satay, served by the popular restaurant Sate Kajang Haji Samuri and Restoran Malaysia, usually packed with Kajang residents and local tourists. Visitors will make the trip from afar to feast on the skewered barbequed meat and its signature spicy peanut sauce.
Folks in Kajang are so loyal to this dish to the extent that several years ago they called for the construction of a Sate Gallery to showcase the history of this popular snack.
For businesses like Sate Kajang Hj Samuri, having the MRT station in front of its restaurant is a boon, says its operational assistant officer Mohd Halim Ahmad.
“Business will definitely get better with more people using the train to come to town. The station will in a way help us 'market' the restaurant, encouraging people to stop by for a bite and taste the famous satay.”
But not everyone welcomes a new form of public transport. For Samsir Ismail, he prefers riding his motorcycle to his office on Jalan Raja Chulan, in the centre of Kuala Lumpur while braving traffic jams and heavy rains. “I think I will save money too from using my bike, instead of paying a train fare of RM3 or RM4 per way into the city.”
This 49-year-old Kajang resident declined to have his photo taken, but didn't rule out the public transport option. He feels that his 22-year-old daughter will likely migrate form using the commuter service to the MRT as she preferred a faster ride into work.
For small businesses, it's a different story. The rows of shophouses, some over 100 years old, may have faced an uncertain future as young people move out of Kajang in search of jobs in the city. So we spoke to owners about the MRT, and they are hopeful that more people will stop off in Kajang when they use the train. Yes, Kajang satay is the motivation they say, but more importantly, they want more commuters as their customers.
Kajang resident Perumal Ramalingam hopes that more people get their motorcycles fixed at his shop while they use the train for work or other appointments. This motorcycle mechanic is optimistic because his workshop is less than 500 metres from Kajang's MRT station.
“The congestion in Kajang and KL is bad, and will probably get worse. Maybe more people will use the train, and then they can come to my shop,” smiles this 31-year-old. Perumal, who also repairs bicycles, has one son and a daughter on the way, and feels that indirectly the MRT can increase his income to support his growing family.
Further along, an old sundry shop called Kedai Runcit Soon Fatt caught our eye, as we explore its array of old-styled biscuits and colourful snacks displayed outside and inside the shop.
Jack Lim, part of the third generation of the owners of this 1906 shophouse is a soft-spoken man who is looking forward to better business with the train coming to town.
“Parking spaces are limited in Kajang. My customers complain to me that they can't come to my shop to buy things because they can't find a parking after several rounds of searching for a space.”
The shop is sandwiched between a bank and Kajang's bus station. Lim, 41, said that if more people used the MRT, there would be a higher chance that they would walk past his shop on their way to the bus station after getting off the train.
“They'll be attracted to stop at my shop and pick up a snack or two.” Lim's shop is just under a kilometre from Kajang's MRT stop.
He is confident that local tourists who come to Kajang to enjoy the satay, will also appreciate the historic and architectural design of the shop, having been in the family for over 60 years now.
This former sales manager admitted that investors had approached his family to value the place, urging them to sell it as it was in a 'prosperous' spot, but the shop remains with the Lim family.
For Lim, whether being 'prosperous' means being attractive for property investors or being strategic for commuters, he doesn't know, but he's encouraged by the future.
12 January 2015
Malaysia's plans to improve public transport is expected to alter people's way of life from allowing speedier travel to fulfilling food cravings. We visited Kajang to not only enjoy its famous satay but to find out if the new Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train services would officially mark the town as a foodie station and bring changes to the Kajang community.
Words by Susan Tam
Photos by Kamal Sellehuddin
“I would rather come to Kajang to run my errands, than head to Kuala Lumpur,” said a teacher as she compared how Malaysia's capital city fared to her hometown when it came to getting those chores done.
Thirty-eight year old Zailena Adzahar said she grew up in Kajang and at any chance she gets, she would ditch the car to hop on public transport to buy supplies at various parts of this busy town. She prefers the old town to other places. And she's excited about the new train service set to start in a couple of year's time.
“Having a MRT station in Kajang is good, the one located in the centre (of town) makes sense. The town needs it. The congestion here now rivals (that of) Kuala Lumpur,” she says as she points to the jam-packed roads on Jalan Cheras near the Kajang's main police station.
She lives on Jalan Reko and has seen how this 'small' town expanded into a bustling place. Zailena now teaches at a national school in Puchong and admits she'll happily use the MRT from Puchong to head to Kajang or her new home in Serdang if she is able to.
“Parking spaces are so few and these days people fight over them. So it's so troublesome to have to drive to places.” Zailena can't wait to teach her four-year-old son Mohd Ian Abdul Karim to enjoy the MRT rides too, and looks forward to using the services that she finds convenient to shop and enjoy Kajang's famous satay. The MRT will no doubt encourage more people to enjoy Kajang's speciality, Zailena adds.
Kajang - located 20 km from Kuala Lumpur - owes its development to the tin boom and growth of coffee and rubber estates in the early 19th century. Plantation workers made up its main residents and today is home to nearly 500,000 people.
The town is well-known for its satay, served by the popular restaurant Sate Kajang Haji Samuri and Restoran Malaysia, usually packed with Kajang residents and local tourists. Visitors will make the trip from afar to feast on the skewered barbequed meat and its signature spicy peanut sauce.
Folks in Kajang are so loyal to this dish to the extent that several years ago they called for the construction of a Sate Gallery to showcase the history of this popular snack.
For businesses like Sate Kajang Hj Samuri, having the MRT station in front of its restaurant is a boon, says its operational assistant officer Mohd Halim Ahmad.
“Business will definitely get better with more people using the train to come to town. The station will in a way help us 'market' the restaurant, encouraging people to stop by for a bite and taste the famous satay.”
But not everyone welcomes a new form of public transport. For Samsir Ismail, he prefers riding his motorcycle to his office on Jalan Raja Chulan, in the centre of Kuala Lumpur while braving traffic jams and heavy rains. “I think I will save money too from using my bike, instead of paying a train fare of RM3 or RM4 per way into the city.”
This 49-year-old Kajang resident declined to have his photo taken, but didn't rule out the public transport option. He feels that his 22-year-old daughter will likely migrate form using the commuter service to the MRT as she preferred a faster ride into work.
For small businesses, it's a different story. The rows of shophouses, some over 100 years old, may have faced an uncertain future as young people move out of Kajang in search of jobs in the city. So we spoke to owners about the MRT, and they are hopeful that more people will stop off in Kajang when they use the train. Yes, Kajang satay is the motivation they say, but more importantly, they want more commuters as their customers.
Kajang resident Perumal Ramalingam hopes that more people get their motorcycles fixed at his shop while they use the train for work or other appointments. This motorcycle mechanic is optimistic because his workshop is less than 500 metres from Kajang's MRT station.
“The congestion in Kajang and KL is bad, and will probably get worse. Maybe more people will use the train, and then they can come to my shop,” smiles this 31-year-old. Perumal, who also repairs bicycles, has one son and a daughter on the way, and feels that indirectly the MRT can increase his income to support his growing family.
Further along, an old sundry shop called Kedai Runcit Soon Fatt caught our eye, as we explore its array of old-styled biscuits and colourful snacks displayed outside and inside the shop.
Jack Lim, part of the third generation of the owners of this 1906 shophouse is a soft-spoken man who is looking forward to better business with the train coming to town.
“Parking spaces are limited in Kajang. My customers complain to me that they can't come to my shop to buy things because they can't find a parking after several rounds of searching for a space.”
The shop is sandwiched between a bank and Kajang's bus station. Lim, 41, said that if more people used the MRT, there would be a higher chance that they would walk past his shop on their way to the bus station after getting off the train.
“They'll be attracted to stop at my shop and pick up a snack or two.” Lim's shop is just under a kilometre from Kajang's MRT stop.
He is confident that local tourists who come to Kajang to enjoy the satay, will also appreciate the historic and architectural design of the shop, having been in the family for over 60 years now.
This former sales manager admitted that investors had approached his family to value the place, urging them to sell it as it was in a 'prosperous' spot, but the shop remains with the Lim family.
For Lim, whether being 'prosperous' means being attractive for property investors or being strategic for commuters, he doesn't know, but he's encouraged by the future.
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