However, every so often there’s news about inspiring Malaysians who are doing their best to help others get through the day with simple acts of kindness, proving that light still exists in moments of darkness.
One such Malaysian is 25-year-old Said Muhammad Hafidz Addha Said Umar, who began selling sushi out of his car boot for just RM1.
Hafidz told FMT that he used to sell sushi at standard market prices during the Movement Control Order in March, but began to feel the financial pinch when the Conditional Movement Control Order was enforced later.
He got to thinking – how about a sushi priced so reasonably, everybody could afford it?
He spoke to his sushi supplier, requesting that they create a range of sushi that wasn’t as pricey as the ones he was selling at the time. They complied and the amazing RM1 sushi was born.
Parked in front of Sekolah Kebangsaan Lembah Keramat, Hafidz now sells a variety of RM1 sushi ranging from Crab Mayo, Ebiko, Cheese Prawn and more but according to Hafidz, the best seller is the mouthwatering Spicy Korean Fried Chicken sushi.
“The sushi is not exactly Japanese-tasting. The flavours cater more to the appetite of Malaysians,” explained Hafidz.
“When I opened my tiny sushi shop from my car boot at Lembah Keramat, I realised there were many underprivileged people living in the area.
“They rarely eat sushi and some had never even tasted it before. So, I started donating 50 pieces of sushi to the needy every Friday so they could try it,” said the father of two.
On Oct 22, Hafidz announced on Twitter that he intended to make this donation of sushi to the underprivileged, a weekly affair. Twitter users instantly took to the idea, so much so that the post went viral, garnering 6,689 retweets.
After his Twitter post, Hafidz says many Malaysians came forward with cash donations in support of his initiative.
On a normal day, Hafidz sells 500 pieces of sushi. Recently however, due to the steady stream of funds from kind donors, he has doubled the volume, selling out 1,000 pieces of sushi within two hours.
Needless to say the news of his sushi sales has travelled far and wide and these days, instead of keeping to the normal hours of 11.30am to 7pm daily, Hafidz closes shop by 2pm.
“I’m currently in my third week of selling the RM1 sushi. In the first week, I donated 50 pieces. In the second week after the tweet went viral, I donated 350 pieces.
“I never expected my tweet to go viral and I’m very grateful for the support,” Hafidz says, looking clearly moved.
Hafidz often gets questions on why he chose to donate sushi instead of distributing essentials like rice, oil and sardines. Well, he has the perfect answer.
“My justification is that there are a lot of amazing people out there already donating these essential items. But for food like sushi, I want those who can’t afford it to try it too. Everyone should be able to eat sushi,” says Hafidz, before adding that he enlisted the help of a community leader to help distribute the donations.
Inspired by all the support, Hafidz tells FMT he dreams of the day he can finally stop selling sushi and instead purchase and donate the sushi himself to those in need.
FMT wishes Hafidz all the best, as there is no doubt that he will get to live his dream someday soon.
In the meantime, if you’d like to lend your support to Hafidz and his RM1 sushi venture or help distribute the donations, follow his updates on Twitter here.