A La Carte or Buffet for Sungkai? By Kamal Muhammad

Hunger, tiredness, thirstiness, all add up to one thing - a desire to end one’s salvation. I do believe breaking fast times are the most look forward to times during the Ramadhan month (apart from the Lailatul Qadar of course). It is the time when we all regain our energy and end the physical and spiritual restraint exercise.

But one may wonder whether it matters how we break our fast. Do we eat lavishly and eat what our natural desire command us, or shall we eat moderately and still exercise some restraint. Buffet or a la carte is the question that ponders me when ever I dine out. To answer the question, one has to experience oneself what each means.

Option 1: A la carte – Too bad, the prices doesn’t change; I hardly come across any restaurant that give discount during Ramadhan, but most of the time the prices are cheaper than buffets (depending on what you order of course). But A la carte is usually meant for those who want a simple dish (or it can be complicated), who knows what they want and most importantly want to enjoy their food. Whether one is to enjoy the food, depends on whether the correct menu is picked and the cook is doing what he/she supposed to do. If the two combinations match, then the chances are, the food is good.

Option 2: Buffets – the good one start at 18 bucks and can go as high as 22/23 bucks for the high end - pretty standard market prices nowadays. The number of dishes can go as far as 12 to 20 dishes. It is worth every penny – plus this is the best time when the price of buffet per head drops like more than 30% especially for the good hotel restaurant. Come to think about it, Ramadhan is the month of food feast where all the good restaurants comes up with their best recipe, if not this is the best time of the Year when the cooks try and promote new recipe. Good for tourism though if we can market it that way?

Anyway, that's beside the point, the question is, can we really enjoy the food? The chances of saying yes is pretty slim, with so many flavours and so many choices, one can end up spoilt by it. It just numbs one’s taste bud especially when two contrasting flavors taken one after the other. Plus a normal person intake is pretty much limited after fasting a whole day. It is just weird to push all those foods of 22 dishes down one's throat. The main reason of breaking fast turns from - to moderately break one's hunger and thirst (dates and plain water) - to enjoying food - then finally trying to fill your stomach as much as possible to make one’s money worth it.

But does it really matter with what we choose? Perhaps it may dictate one’s character with the choices that one made. If so, how does a simple choice of a la carte and buffets make a different? May be, let me try to relate that to terms which I am a bit familiar with - investment.

A la carte choosers are more focused and professional. Often they know what they want. In terms of investment, they are risk takers and can be associated more toward hedge fund investors. The rewards are of course can be greater if successful but can also be disastrous if a decision is chosen wrongly.

Buffets are for people who are unsure with what they want; they want the best in everything and want the freedom to choose. Buffets are also those who are in search for the best one in life but do not mind to lose something along the way. In terms of investment, buffet choosers are more prudent investors and like to diversify their risk in various baskets. If they can manage properly with what they invest (eat), and harness their stock picks (menu) they can make the best out of their investment.

Ramadhan is the month of blessing and for all of us to exercise restraint in hope to be a better person. We have always been tested and shall remain to be tested with choices that seem not so important but if we think hard, there are always reason of the choices we made.

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[Today's guest blogger is Kamal Muhammad, the young Investment Manager at the B$1+ billion Retirement Fund.]