From Maggots to Dish Rags: 10 Times M'sians Were Sorely Disappointed at This Year's Ramadan Bazaars

During the holy month of Ramadan, visiting bazaars is something everyone looks forward to, with its lively atmosphere and the smell of roti john lingering in the air, coupled with the sizzling sounds of ayam golek madu. However, this year, many netizens have voiced their complaints about food at Ramadan bazaars being expensive while others have expressed concerns about stalls that don’t display their prices.

When I recently visited a bazaar, the cheapest main dish I could purchase was an RM8 murtabak while everything else was above RM10…plus I got severe food poisoning afterwards *sigh*.

Beyond the steep prices, another major issue seems to be the quality of food with many netizens taking to social media to share images and videos of their disappointing meals which we have compiled into a list.

Rock-hard pulut panggang

This traditional Malaysian delicacy which contains aromatic glutinous rice is typically filled with a spicy sambal filling, wrapped in banana leaves, and then grilled.

It usually has a soft texture but TikTok user @kanda.nismilan was sorely disappointed with the pulut panggang they had bought, which was almost burnt charcoal black in some parts. They also struck it against a plate and clinking sounds could be heard. Suffice it to say, it was inedible.

@kanda.nismilan alkisah 1 ramadhan .. tak tahu la nk gelak ke nk nangis .. dah mcm kayu ?? #kongsibersama #ramadhan2024 #puasa #fyp #berbukapuasa ♬ Marhaban ya ramadhan - Nay?

Dish rag murtabak

The Malaysian flatbread with egg, onion, and meat filling may somewhat resemble the shape of a cloth, but a murtabak from one vendor in particular literally had a dish rag in it. Eww! The issue even caught the attention of the Ministry of Health which has since issued a compound notice to the vendor.

Cebisan kain dalam martabak: KKM keluarkan notis kompaun terhadap peniaga cuaihttps://t.co/x0reeCCEFg #BernamaNews pic.twitter.com/B4rPSyPgtw
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) March 27, 2024

Onde onde gone bad

Even kuih is not cheap nowadays, with TikTok user @noramalinamuhamad sharing a video of the onde onde they had bought at RM5.50 per box for approximately 15. However, the price wasn’t the issue as she shared that although it wasn’t time for iftar yet, the kuih had already gone bad and insects had already gathered on it. Yikes.

@noramalinamuhammad Biasa tgok org yg kena..hari ni turn kiter...geram betul haku....dri batu kawan ni mai beli...#ramadhan #kaksalkelate #onde2 #makananbasi ♬ bunyi asal - Nasi Pakistan No 1 Batu Pahat - user28131619870

Nasi kerabu with…a special ingredient

X user @amighuldeghaman was about to dig into their nasi kerabu when they noticed something moving inside. It turned out to be tiny maggots which were crawling all over the rice. They also said that the chicken appeared to have been ‘recycled’.

Orang nak berniaga, dia pun nak juga berniagaNasib perasan awal. Ayam pun dia buat recycle je.Lokasi : Nasi Kerabu Bazar Ramadhan Kuala Pilah (Bersebelahan McDonald)Sumber X - amighul deghaman pic.twitter.com/ndJDRRi5Ks
— #UpdateInfo??? (@update11111) March 26, 2024

Tepung pelita causes food poisoning

Meanwhile, X user @ntxhrz shared images of their tepung pelita which they said had gone bad and had a burnt smell. It was also watery and not cooked thoroughly. They said that their friend had eaten it and experienced diarrhea the very next day. “The price is not even cheap. If you aren’t good at doing business, don’t swindle customers,” they added.

Tepung pelita hangit dan basi ye. Kat TSI ARENA cyberjaya. Rasa gula hangit, pastu cair dan ? mentah. Member makan sakit perut cirit birit keesokan harinya. Beli bukannya murah. Kalau tak pandai meniaga janganla meniaga khianat orang pic.twitter.com/ExBP0C4p8m
— ? (@ntxhrz) March 16, 2024

Fries with invisible meat

X user @minopqrst posted an image of their ‘cheesy Bolognese fries’ but upon receiving their order, found it sans meat. “Hmm, I probably need to imagine the Bolognese meat”, they hilariously wrote.

Rm 11.90 kata cheezy bolognese meat fries, tapi dapatnya tu hm bolongnese meat nya kene bayangkan kot pic.twitter.com/VZLcAaJzWs
— mint?? (@minopqrst) March 17, 2024

A waste of money

The only issue wasn't only with how the dishes were cooked but also with their ridiculously tiny portions. X user @K4Llang shared an image of their miserable butter chicken from Putrajaya which set them back RM12. “Why is there an increasing number of awful stall owners like this?”, they lamented.

Putrajaya Nasi Butter chicken Rm12 . Asal la makin banyak peniaga yang Teruk macam ni ??‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/65E9YnLABI
— KaLLang (@K4Llang) March 16, 2024

Bombo-angin

Bombolini are little, perfectly sized Italian doughnuts but this X user dubbed theirs as ‘bomboangin’ or ‘bomboair’ due to the lack of fillings in them.

bomboangin pic.twitter.com/4odBWYgJ8m
— ιкαʕ•ᴥ•ʔ (@zulykha_) March 16, 2024

Tauhu bergedil gone wrong

This scrumptious snack is fried tofu stuffed with boiled potatoes, minced beef, shallots, and more. Sadly, this vendor didn’t seem to know how to prepare the dish properly, being overly generous with their potatoes and including a massive chunk in it. Looks…unappetising.

Kene gak. Kentang ketul2 eak kau bagi pic.twitter.com/GZnZCUE4Ib
— AINA BEE ? | GE Takaful Agent (@Enginena) March 17, 2024

Putu mayam or bihun?

One of the worst feelings is when you’re craving something but end up disappointed. X user @anna_nassssss wanted fluffy putu mayam but ended up getting bihun kosong instead.

Putu mayam ❌Bihun kosong ✅Dah la teringin ??? pic.twitter.com/UbNLmMidHD
— ana✨ (@anna_nassssss) March 17, 2024

Have you been disappointed by your recent trip to Ramadan bazaars? Share your photos in the comments!

Featured Image Credit: @ntxhrz, Bernama, @Enginena | X