Cooling down: People having soya bean drinks and tau foo fah at the famous Funny Mountain Soya Bean outlet. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
IPOH: The current hot weather has thirsty customers flocking to stalls selling herbal, coconut, and soy bean drinks here.
Not only that, people are also not missing the opportunity to taste the city’s famous soybean curd dessert (tau foo fah) and its juicy pomelos.
Tambun Pomelo Growers Association adviser Tan Swee Kong said the fruit is rich in Vitamin C, and with the current weather, people are consuming more of it.
He said this was not the actual harvest season, and thus supply was much lower.
“However, I have been told that the demand for the fruit is high, especially from visitors.
“There are a lot of visitors in town because of the various public holidays, and they are not missing out on the opportunity to purchase the fruit to consume natural Vitamin C,” he said, adding that the harvest seasons are usually in January to February and September to October.
Over at Ipoh new town’s famous Funny Mountain Soya Bean outlet, the hot weather has not stopped patrons from streaming continuously to get their tau fu fah and cold soy drinks.
Owner Tan Soo Heong said with the holidays and hot weather, he has had a non-stop stream of customers.
“People are just coming out in droves, making a beeline to quench their thirst and cool down with the drinks,” he said.
Peter D’ Cruz, 36, from Kuala Lumpur, who is in Ipoh with his friends, said after walking around for some time in the hot weather, they just had to stop to have the bean curd and soy drink.
“We don’t want to get heat stroke or fall sick, and thus we try to consume as much water and healthy drinks as possible while touring the city,” he added.
At one of the famous Chinese herbal drinks stalls on Jalan C.M. Yusuff, owner Wenky Cheong, 42, said since the onset of the current weather, many people have been flocking to her stall asking for the special herbal tea.
“This specific herbal tea is made using 27 different types of herbs.
“The taste can be bitter, but the drink helps to cure sore throats, coughs, fevers, and flu and also helps to reduce body heat.
“Besides that, customers, mostly not from Ipoh, also buy chrysanthemum, mata kucing, and sugarcane-flavoured teas,” she added.
Customer Shum Kok Onn, 58, from Kuala Lumpur, said he would never miss the opportunity to stop at the stall to have the special herbal drink whenever he is in Ipoh.
Shum said since he runs a construction-based company, he is always out in the sun.
“I try my best to have the drink to cool my body down, and I find the drink sold here is much better than the ones found in Kuala Lumpur,” he said, adding that he would be taking a few bottles home as well.
Another herbal drink seller said due to the weather, many people came to his stall to try his drink made out of six different herbs, which he added is effective for those coming down with flu, fevers, coughs and headaches.
“With such weather now, my customers are not taking any chances, and they stop by at the stall before having the signature chicken with bean sprouts on Jalan Theatre,” he added.
As for coconut water seller Tai Chee Fu, 19, he has been busy opening many coconuts every day as business has been reasonably good for the past few weeks.
“I can sell more than 30 coconuts a day, and most customers take very little ice as the drink helps to cool the body down,” he added.
