Food, fun and football at 24-hour eateries

I WAS out of town for the Christmas holidays and deprived of the simple pleasures of home like the Astro SuperSport channel to watch English Premier League football matches on Boxing Day.

There were two wonderful live matches on Boxing Day – one between Manchester United and Burnley at 11pm and the other between Liverpool and Swansea at 1.30am.

As an ardent Liverpool fan, I was adamant that I did not miss the game.

As the hotel I was staying in did not have the Astro SuperSport Channel, I found myself in the wee hours at a 24-hour eatery where television sets were placed at every corner of the shop.

And there were young and old people eating and watching live football on the television. There was so much camaraderie and goodwill among the patrons as I took my place in the restaurant in front of a TV and ordered teh o limau panas.

Though it was past midnight, the people were engrossed with the Manchester United-Burnley game with the Red Devils trailing 2-1. With minutes to the final whistle, the Red Devils scored the equaliser and the whole restaurant erupted in euphoria.

Minutes later, the Liverpool and Swansea game started and I watched the game uninterrupted until the end while sipping my teh o limau panas.

It was indeed a Boxing Day for the Reds as they thrashed Swansea 5-nil and I was happy that I had the opportunity to catch the game at the 24-hour eatery.

These eateries have been blamed for serving food at all times and promoting unhealthy eating habits among Malaysians, and contribut- ing to rising obesity, a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure.

As I was watching the game, I noticed not just people of all ages but even families came in droves to have a meal together.

Some quarters have attributed widespread obesity in the country to the high number of 24-hour food stalls in the country.

But obesity is the culmination of a number of factors, including bad eating habits, unhealthy or sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, smoking, and an excessive consumption of food rich in fats and sugar.

Such eateries cannot be solely blamed for the health problem in the country.

These outlets are a unique Malaysian feature that provide food and drinks to the nocturnal crowd and free broadcast of live football matches for diehard Premier League fans away from the comfort of home.