Tukang Sayur

Lately I have been very interested with the existence of tukang sayur (mobile vegetable vendors). Since my film project goes around the life of tukang sayur and tukang tambal ban (people who fix wheels of vehicles, mostly cars, bikes motorcycles), I get to see tukang sayur in my neighbourhood and found that many of them are women (although there are men as well). They carry their carts or use bikes. One who usually sells right in front of my house even uses motorcycle. Her name is Minah.

Minah's motorcycle is placed with a huge blue wooden box that has compartments to place all of her merchandises. If she arrives in front of my house, she will scream "sayuuur" so that all the maids know that she is coming. On her arrival, her motorcycle will always be full of fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, chicken and fish. You name it, from coconuts, broccolis to skinned chicken claws and heads are there. She speaks Javanese to the Javanese maids and to the ones who are not originally from Central Java, she will speak Indonesian. Minah herself comes from Solo, Central Java. My maid said that her house is located not far from the Solo Balapan Train Station.

Everyday, Minah will go to Pasar Minggu to buy her merchandises. She starts shopping at 12 AM. She will arrive in my neighbourhood at around 8 to 9.30, a bit unpredictable, but never too far from that timing. She counts the price that each and every single maid would have to pay without using the calculator and sometimes even while talking to the other maids. Later on, when the maid has to pay, sometimes she forgets the price, and if the maid does not remember the price as well, she counts again, and with the same result.

I bet that her mathematical skill in counting all those prices is far better than me, who until now still needs calculator (or if it does not exist whenever I need it, my own freaking fingers) even for just simple mathematical problems like addition and subtraction.

I am interested in how Minah lives her life as a tukang sayur. I would like to know what are her activities besides selling vegetables, how does she buy all those merchandises in the market (or maybe she needs to compete with other tukang sayur) and how much does she earn a day. I talked to another tukang sayur who also sells in my neighbourhood (she usually sells near my complex's small garden) and she can spend up to Rp 600.000, - a day for all the merchandises that she bought to be sold. On the internet, I found out that a tukang sayur can earn up to Rp 1.000.000, - a day and can get the profit for up to Rp 250,000, -.

During the holidays, I would love to make a documentary about Minah and other tukang sayur, especially women. I bet their lives can be interesting to be filmed. Remembering Directing 1 class' instruction to never make a film about ourselves, I think making a film about those "marginalised yet important" people will make myself learn even more and it will be interesting.