WHILE millennials and Gen-Z’s are out in the world “demanding” jobs and complaining about the lack of opportunities, Sita Singh, 71, of Chatsworth, refuses to throw in the towel and continues to sell her deep-fried Poli for R5 each at the Made in Chatsworth Market.
With the cost of living reaching all-time highs recently, Singh still keeps her prices at a baseline level, which helps her earn a quick living, which is currently her only income.
Besides the ingredients that go into her food, like flour, thill [Sesame seeds] and cooking oil, she also pays for an Uber to transport her to and from the Depot Memorial School, where author Kiru Naidoo hosts the market over the weekend.
Besides Poli, Sita Singh also sells murukku.
Both of these items are made with recipes that were taught to her by her mother, decades ago but still taste like home-made today.
“I am here at the market selling Poli and murukku over the weekends. It’s easy for me at this age and doesn’t really take too long to make. I sell the Poli at R5 or four for R20. Selling it cheap means I get more customers so I can pay for my Uber to get home.
“My mother, who has passed away for more than 40 years now, taught me these recipes when I was 7-years-old. She always told me whatever I made in the kitchen, I was making it as if it were for God. I did not understand what that meant at the time, but now I do.
“For every customer that buys from me now, it's as if I am making these Poli’s and murukku’s for my own mother. Her words still hold true. I treat every poli with the same respect I did when I was making it for her,” Singh explained.
Her Poli recipe includes coconut, sugar, thill, almonds, mixed nuts and a “lot of love”.
Singh also has a shop assistant at her stall, her 6-year-old grandson Lokesh, who tries his hardest to market his granny’s deep-fried goods.
“You know what makes my granny’s poli so nice? She puts coconut on the top but I like the murukku more,” Lokesh told the POST.
Singh’s grit and determination has been documented before, after she ran the New York Marathon in a white sari.
The POST