Monday 30 November 2015

Bedak Sejuk: A Dying Trade



As a child, I would sit in front of my grandmother and watched with child-like wonder as she slathered on generous amounts of sticky white paste on her face every morning as part of her daily beauty regime.

The paste would considerably whiten her face, making her almost ghostlike. It would then dry up in a matter of minutes, leaving trails of flaky crusts all over her face.

She did not mind it though. In fact, none of the grandmothers I knew minded it in the least bit.

A traditional Asian beauty product, bedak sejuk is made from quality broken rice, shaped much like a chocolate chip, and perfumed with the fragrance of pandan leaves.



EMMY_LEE
The bedak sejuk have to be dried under the sun for at least 5 days before they can be packaged.


Renowned for its moisturising and anti-ageing properties, pieces of bedak sejuk would be diluted with water and smeared over the face, arms and legs.

But the bedak sejuk’s market value has been on a steady decline as the lure of Western beauty products gains momentum in the Asian beauty market.

According to the founder of Lean Seng Bedak Sejuk, Yeoh Keng Beng said that making bedak sejuk is far from being a lucrative business.

“I am aware that the profits I earn from the business are far from profitable but as long as there is still demand for bedak sejuk, production will continue as per usual.”


EMMY_LEE
The founder of Lean Seng Bedak Sejuk, Yeoh Keng Beng packaging the bedak sejuk.


A man dedicated to his craft, Yeoh has spent more than 40 years perfecting the art of making bedak sejuk.

“The process is quite simple. First, broken bits of rice have to be soaked in water for about 30 days before they are grinded into a pulp. They will then be filtered and squeezed into rice drops the size of chocolate chips.

“The rice drops will then be dried under the sun for a few days before being bottled and sold to customers.”

At present, Yeoh is planning on incorporating tea leaves into his product to widen his target consumers to include foreigners as well. 


EMMY_LEE
Yeoh’s workshop has been in operation since 1980s.


“I am trying to revive a dying trade and in my book, innovation goes a long way.”


Interested parties can visit Lean Seng Bedak Sejuk

Address:160 Mukim D, Balik Pulau, Penang. 

or call:04-866 0622

For more information, click on their official Facebook page: 
https://www.facebook.com/Perniagaan-Bedak-Sejuk-Lean-Seng-137103643067738/info/?tab=overview 

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