13 minutes
A YOUTUBER had completed a challenge to survive on a tight budget of RM20 for an entire day in Kuala Lumpur.
Hailing from Hong Kong, content creator Mario in his video on YouTube, took it upon himself to see if he could survive in the capital with only RM20 and began the video by asking two children on Malaysia’s cheapest breakfast.
One of the children, who is a Russian, responded with “nasi goreng” (fried rice), saying that it costs RM11 but of course, that would deplete Mario’s already limited budget. Moments later, the Russian kid generously handed him a bottle of soft drink and RM1 to help him with his challenge.
Mario was surprised and touched by the kid’s kind gesture. The content creator then searched for other options online for cheap eats and stopped at Malaysia’s iconic breakfast staple, the roti canai, costing less than RM2 each, according to his search results.
He stopped at a food stall selling roti canai and only spent RM1.30, leaving him with RM19.70 (added with the RM1 given by the child). Mario added that the roti canai, being savoury in combination with its crispy exterior and soft interior made it a delectable pairing with the curry.
He also stopped by a fast food chain at a nearby shopping complex, to provide another option, which is the Menu Rahmah offerings costing RM5 per set, and praised the government for its initiative in helping the nation.
Next, Mario’s lunch was at a temple canteen serving fully vegetarian mixed rice and took some rice together with their dishes, which came up to only RM6.50. He stopped at the temple to pray first before going to the canteen.
“I found out that the canteen is run solely with the help of volunteers and donations, so I decided to donate that RM1 I received from the Russian kid”, he said in his video.
After the nourishing meal, the content creator hopped on the Kuala Lumpur free bus and went to a random location with not much to see or do. He then went into a Chinese medicine shop and asked one of the employees for his recommendation for a cheap dinner. The employee told him to try out another Malaysian staple, the Ramly burger.
After that, he went to a food stall and bought a piece of tauhu pentol as a snack for only RM1, describing it as “value for money” focusing on its different textures and flavours. He also went exploring and got himself some water for RM1 and then detoured to a marketplace.
The Hong Kong YouTuber found himself in a tight spot later on when he realised that the stop for the free bus was far away and decided to ask a few locals to help give him a ride to which some had initially declined until finally, a motorcyclist with an extra helmet kindly offered to drop him off at the nearest MRT station.
At the MRT station, Mario spent RM7.90, leaving him with RM4.10 as his balance. His final stop was for his dinner which was the affordable and satisfying Ramly burger that amounted to RM4. After having his dinner, he mentioned that he understood why the simple roadside burger is a Malaysian favourite.
“It’s packed with flavour along with vegetables and an egg, what more can you ask for?”, he said.
As the challenge came to an end, the YouTuber was glad to have successfully completed surviving in Kuala Lumpur on a tight budget without resorting to eating bread or biscuits for his meals.
“The food was great, but I had a taste of how kind Malaysians are and that, to me, is much more meaningful”, he concluded in his video.
