JOHOR BARU: Many families are cooking their meals instead of buying food during this fasting month.
This has helped reduce food waste.
Mother of two Aisha Mohd Yusof, 39, said she decided to cook instead of eating out during Ramadan two years ago so that she could spend more time with her family.
“For me, cooking together is a meaningful way for us to spend quality family time while waiting to break fast.
“I will usually have my two daughters assigned to different tasks so that they can assist my husband and me in preparing dishes for berbuka puasa.
“We want to have more time together.
“Our decision to stay home instead of going out to eat or buy food has helped us reduce food waste,” she said in an interview.
Aisha, who is a student management assistant, said that by opting to cook, she and her husband are also able to explore and learn new recipes from social media.
“Whatever leftover food we have from iftar (breaking fast) would normally be heated up and consumed for our pre-dawn meal,” she added.
Aisha said cooking has also helped her reduce unnecessary expenses during the fasting month.
“The food at Ramadan bazaars can be very enticing when you are fasting, especially for young children, and this sometimes leads us to buy more food than we actually need.
“Not only would this lead to more food waste, but it could also cause a huge hole in our wallets, especially with the rising cost of foodstuff these days,” she added.
Teacher Rashidatul Kamilah Samsuri, 35, said that she only buys food from Ramadan bazaars on the weekends, as she mostly cooks at home.
“It is much easier to reduce food waste when you cook at home, as you can estimate how much food you actually need.
“On the other hand, when you buy food from the bazaar, you tend to buy more than you actually need. We end up throwing it away as the leftover amount piles up.
“The wide variety of choices offered at the bazaars also leads everyone in the family to choose different dishes for iftar instead of sharing just a few ,” she said.
To reduce waste, the mother of three and her children would bring their containers when buying food at the Ramadan bazaars.
“It is a simple thing that can help reduce plastic waste.
“Sometimes, when the traders see us coming to their stalls bringing our own containers, they are impressed as they don’t see this often,” she said, adding that she hopes to encourage other people to do the same.
Meanwhile, technician Azrul Samad, 27, said he also cooks his own meals.
“This year, I decided to cook as much as I can as a way to cut down my spending and to challenge myself.
“I’m still able to have good and satisfying dishes even though I don’t have much time to cook.
“I didn’t initially set out to reduce waste, but I’m pleased to be cooking at home,” he remarked.
