Not the Brittle Crumbs of Rengginang

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Yani Risnawati.

Yani Risnawati, 51, once felt her life would come to an end when she had a stroke. However, rengginang (fried sticky-rice cookies) helped her regain her spirit to rise from her physical frailty. Unwilling to enjoy her success alone, she invited her peers to promote her business.

At noon on Wednesday (19/5/2021), Yani was busily engaged in video filming for her business profile. The shooting was halted several times after being interrupted by the sound of exhaust pipes of motorcycles passing the street in front of her house on Jl. Kapten Samadikun I, Cirebon city, West Java.

The owner of Rengginang Kidal business unit was introducing her products with shrimp, galingale and citrus-leaf flavors. Behind her was a banner bearing pictures of celebrities with her rengginang. There were Ferdy Hasan, Jeremy Teti and Dewi Persik. In the circles of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Cirebon, she has often been invited to take part in exhibitions, including the event visited by West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil in Cirebon at the end of April.

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Eight years ago, such achievements were only her dreams. The mother of two had a stroke in 2013. She was on her way from Jakarta to Cirebon by train. “I was walking to the rear [toilet], but why couldn’t I move my leg? Neither could my right arm move. Finally, I used a wheelchair,” she recalled.

She was unable to walk, let alone go by car.

The cosmetics consultant who had frequently traveled was forced to be confined in a 4-square-meter room for almost a year. She was unable to walk, let alone go by car. “I could do nothing. I had my meals and defecated in the room. There was no more zest for life,” she said.

She tried many things from medical therapy to traditional healing and massage. Her husband even had to leave his job for the sake of accompanying her. But all the attempts were not yet fruitful. Even her savings were exhausted. In the Cirebon expression: entok bebek entok ayam sekandang-kandange (everything is gone).

One day in 2015, her only grandchild asked her. “Omah (granny), you can’t walk, can you?” she imitated her grandkid’s words. She became aware that she still had a grandchild, children and family. Relying on others would just make her lose her independence. Steadily, she learned to walk although she would still fall now and again.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Workers arrange rengginang at the Rengginang Kidal production house on Jalan Kapten Samadikun, Cirebon City, West Java, Wednesday (19/5/2021).

In early 2018, she was invited to attend a reunion of Kebon Baru 4 elementary school in Cirebon city. Some of her friends contributed millions of rupiah to the program. Yani, who had spent her money on her medication, was determined to offer typical gifts of Cirebon. “There was sticky rice in the kitchen. I might just as well make rengginang,” she revealed.

With no experience, she failed twice in preparing rengginang. In her next experiment, Yani managed to convert 5 kilograms of glutinous rice into rengginang only with her left hand. That’s why her products were brand-named Rengginang Kidal (left-handed).

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Unexpectedly, her reunion peers asked her to open a business. Her gusto for life began to grow. She started fulfilling the various requirements to start an MSME, including participation in the House of State-Owned Enterprises providing guidance for MSMEs.

Enthusiasm

“I would at times feel inferior during training. While others were writing, I could only listen,” she said. Not to mention’s people’s gazes as if judging her uncommon way of walking, her left-handed eating fashion and her misshapen mouth.

“Gradually, I got used to it. If anybody gazed at me, I gazed back. My self-confidence might have been overdosed,” she laughingly said. Her physiotherapy three times a week also supported her mental attitude.

She never wants consumers to buy her products only out of pity. Therefore, Yani makes sure to prioritize quality. For instance, she uses kating garlic (white with big slices), super glutinous rice and thick plastic packs. The cookies are fried one by one using no bulk cooking oil.

Her products mention intellectual property rights and carry halal labels so that she feels comfortable setting the price at Rp 35,000 per pack of 250 grams, which may be more expensive than other similar products. But she assures that her products have the crunchiness of rengginang that suits the taste of consumers.

They include gift shops, hotels, artists, officials in West Java and North Sumatra as well as the Supermarket Expo in Cairo, Egypt, in mid-April.

With perseverance, Yani has built networks covering those who promote her products everywhere through online sales. They include gift shops, hotels, artists, officials in West Java and North Sumatra as well as the Supermarket Expo in Cairo, Egypt, in mid-April.

Yani, who has only recently become a single parent, not only supports the family’s economy but also employs three of her neighbors. In a day, they can produce rengginang from 10 kilograms of sticky rice, excluding orders placed by institutions or companies.

The achievements make her feel more grateful for her life. She frequently shares her fortune with disadvantaged children around her home. She is also requested to motivate other stroke patients at physiotherapy centers and participate in seminars.

“Although I don’t get paid, I feel happy. Not everything should be viewed in monetary terms. I learn from the saying, heal your pain with your alms,” she pointed out.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Yani Risnawati

Now, Yani hopes she can keep working while giving inspiration for a longer time. Quoting the verse of great poet Chairil Anwar, she wants to live for another thousand years. Even if this can’t happen, she hopes her succeeding generations will further the Rengginang Kidal business and view life not as the brittle “crumbs” of rengginang.

Yani Risnawati

Born: Ciamis, 23 January 1970

Education:8 Bandung state senior high school

Occupation: Owner of Rengginang Kidal

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)