But traders and regulars at the market know that Nurul Ain Alias, 36, is more than mere eye candy. For the past year, this mother-of-four has been operating a fish stall at the market - the only woman among the dozens of fishmongers there - and her skill at gutting and scaling the fish, no matter their size, leaves everyone amazed.
Initially, fellow traders and marketgoers were a little shocked to see her all dressed up but now they are used to it. She said after the company she worked for as a public relations officer terminated her employment as part of a staff lay-off in December 2018, she looked for a new job. The prospect of taking over her father’s business did not daunt her as she was involved in businesses such as selling nasi lemak, albeit on a small-scale, since her school days.
Small fish like kembung and cencaru are easy to clean and cut but the bigger ones like jenahak, merah and siakap that weigh more than four kg each require special skills, failing which they will end up getting ‘mauled’.