REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Tinah (29 years) sits on the floor with a sheet of cardboard and her legs protrude. A winnow full of shallot is on her lap. When she is tired, she removes the winnow and stretches her legs. Her eyes seem drowsy, but her hands skillfully peel the shallot. She peels it one by one. Then she puts it in a sack and weighs it.

Tinah is a shallot peeler in Kramat Jati Central Market, East Jakarta. Every day, she comes to the market at 08.00. Piles of shallot are waiting for her to be peeled. She peels the big ones first. "The small ones are harder to be peeled," Tinah said.

With a cutter, she cleans and peels the shallot. Cutter is easier to be hold than a knife. In only two second, a shallot is cleaned. She may be skillful, but sometimes she accidently cuts herself.

For Timah, the smell of shallot is not a problem. She resists a stinging pain in her eyes. "I have done it since I was 16," she said. On a day, she can peel 15-20 kilograms of shallot. She gets 1,000 IDR for a kilogram of shallot that she peels. Her wage of 15,000 or 20,000 IDR a day is obviously not enough to cover her daily expenses, moreover after her husband left her.

She tries not to complain. She plans to educate her 4-year-old son. But, the expensive fee ruins her dream. Yet, Tinah refuses to do something that God forbids to earn money. "Every night I pray and read Quran," she said. She believes one day she will have a chance to educate Rafil, her son. "I have hope," she said.   

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