KUCHING: Kuchingites are a responsible lot when it comes to cleaning up after meals. A 30-day event called Urban Box Carnival to promote cleaning the table and utensils after meals by patrons amazed the organisers, Urban Box and Saradise.
“The management and the organisers were pleasantly surprised by the responsible attitude of patrons who willingly went about clearing and cleaning the tables and making full use of the bins provided,” said Si Kok Leng, Saradise corporate marketing communication manager in a statement yesterday.
“This is what we want to instil in the public — a positive attitude, one that can help to uplift the quality of the city lifestyle,” added Si.
Urban Box founders, siblings Gabriel and Ronald Koo, said all they did was place a dustbin by the side of each table and at the end of the meal, “all the rubbish and the leftovers ended up in the dustbin”.
Gabriel said it was satisfying to see the positive attitude of city folk of today which is unlike what used to be said of the past when patrons “would throw or spit bones on to the floor”.
“One thing is for sure, this carnival is a huge success because Urban Box certainly has driven home the need to have good table manners and to never litter unnecessarily.
“Secondly, for the duration of the carnival we have discovered the positive side of Kuching city folk, and they show that Kuching can be a truly clean and hygienic city,” Gabriel said.
Of course, the other side of the carnival was to encourage more people to become food entrepreneurs, and on this Ronald said, “The carnival welcomes new and aspiring food entrepreneurs to exhibit their experimental dishes. It’s a platform for them to know the potential of their products.”
Among the notable products exhibited and sold were the Japanese Pizza Okonomiyaki, the Chinese Skewers and Tom Yang Kung.
“Urban Box notes that these delicacies do have the potential to appease the appetite of many city folk,” Ronald said, adding Kuchingites are an adventurous lot when it comes to food, there is no limit to what can be signature dishes or not.
Meanwhile, Si said Saradise aims to promote the Sarawakiana brand products not only among locals but foreigners as well.
“The carnival is a perfect opportunity for that,” Si added.
