Poverty forces family to scavenge for discarded chicken skin to turn into meals

KUALA KRAI (Bernama): If chicken skin is considered kitchen waste by most households in Malaysia, to a family in Kelantan, it is a "special” dish for them.

Siti Hamidah Abdul Hamid, 32, said that poverty has forced her to be creative in preparing food for her family.

She said that with her husband, Muhamad Zuhaidi Safin's meager earnings as a labourer, she could not afford to spend much in feeding her three daughters.

"I normally collect the chicken skin from a school near my house. I feel that it is a waste to let it just be thrown away.

"Furthermore, my family cannot afford to have beef, chicken or fish everyday. We are lucky enough that someone is willing to keep the chicken skin and give it to us,” she said when met at her house here.

She said although chicken skin is regarded as unhealthy, there was nothing that she could do, due to their financial constraints.

"We can only afford proper food like meat or fish once a week, and the rest of the week, we will eat whatever kitchen waste that I can scavenge from the school canteen.

"So far my girls, Siti Aisyah, Norsyayidah Nafisah and Nor Syafiya Nadira, aged between three and eight, like the chicken skin that I cook,” she said.

Meanwhile, Muhamad Zuhaidi, 33, said that with his unstable income and house rental of RM100 a month, it is hard for him to provide better food for his family.

"However, I will work harder to be able to buy healthier food for my family but for now, my priority is just to make sure that they are fed and we are healthy,” he said while telling reporters that he dreams to have his own home. - Bernama