The pomelo is in great demand during the Chinese New Year as it has an auspicious sounding name in Chinese. In Cantonese, pomelo is “Loke yau" which means "existence of wealth". That is why it is a popular item given as gifts to friends and relatives during festivals.
When I was at the market yesterday morning, there were pomeloes aplenty for sale. The smaller ones were sold at RM7 while the largest ones were about RM25.
Here is a news article about the sale of pomeloes in Ipoh which is famous for this fruit.
Selling double: Lee showing the pomeloes at the stall outside the Sam Poh Tong Temple in Ipoh.
Pomelo sales hit a high as CNY nears
IPOH: Business has been bustling for pomelo sellers near the famed Sam Poh Tong Temple here in view of the Lunar New Year.
“Our sales have doubled,” said 18-year-old stall assistant Lee Pik Wen.
On normal days and weekends, she would sell about 10 to 30 pomeloes but “these days, we can sell almost 100 a day.”
Lee said most people buying for the Chinese New Year could buy up to 10 pomeloes at one go.
The cheaper pomeloes cost about RM10 for three while the more expensive ones could be about RM18 to RM22 for each fruit.
Asked about the talk that stalls here tend to employ pretty and young women to lure customers, Lee acknowledged that some stall owners would adopt such a practice.
”But business is almost the same for everyone here,” she said.
However, she cautioned that not all customers would go to stalls that were manned by young females.
”This is because some buyers would think that they would have to pay more if they buy from a pretty woman, which is not true,” she added.
There are about 25 stalls which operate along Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah (previously known as Jalan Gopeng).
Lee said that some male customers did try to date her.
“They would ask for my contact number. But I don’t go out with them,” she said.
Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/1/26/nation/7868448&sec=nation
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