I’m the type to be really proud of my hometown of Sitiawan, Perak. Located near the coast, it’s the home to really cheap seafood.

The popular seafood restaurants all located in an area known as Kampung Cina. While all is fine and dandy on normal days, problems arise during public holidays.

While some of these restaurants can have 30 or more tables, most of them have only one cook! Public holidays tend to bring in the crowd (everyone seems to be starved of cheap seafood these days) and the phenomenon of kitchen crash.

Orders get mixed up, lost even, food quality suffers and wait times of up to 2 hours are all very common. Here are several tips to ease the suffering when eating out in Sitiawan during the hols.

1. Come early especially for dinner as the crowds are killer. If you manage to get a table at 7, expect to wait for 15-20 minutes for your order to be taken down. Expected time to partake your meal? 9.30 p.m. So come at 6 instead.

2. Check out the other tables. If you notice that a majority of tables are occupied but are not eating yet, get out! Classic signs of a kitchen crash here.

3. If you are the impatient type, you are better off with McDonalds

4. if you have a gastric problem and still insist to have seafood (and join the potential long wait), bring along some snacks.

Hopefully you don’t double over from hunger. Lol.