Woman buys 140 packs of chicken rice to help out a hawker auntie and to donate the food to a nursing home

Singapore — The kind gestures of the public in support of Singapore’s hawkers continue; this time, a woman purchased 140 orders of chicken rice from an auntie at Amoy Street Food Centre and donated the food to a nursing home.

“After scouring four food centres to find an elderly hawker to support, we came across Xiang Xiang Hainanese chicken rice at Amoy street,” wrote Jass Chew on Facebook on Tuesday (Jul 6).

She noted how amid the busy lunch crowd where other stalls had snaking queues, Xiang Xiang was quiet.

Ms Chew shared that the stall’s owner, Mdm Tuan, was having her lunch when they arrived. She jumped quickly to serve the customers.

The story of the 82-year-old hawker was shared on the Facebook page Hawkers United – Dabao 2020, a platform created to support hawkers by sharing the must-try eats online.

It was highlighted that Mdm Tuan became a hawker in her early 20s and has been at Amoy Street Food Centre for 30 years.

“She used to sell about 100 plates of chicken rice a day, but because of Covid-19, she only sold 40 plates a day,” said Ms Chew.

Mdm Tuan would also give her leftover chicken away whenever she’s unable to sell them.

She works tirelessly from 6 am to 4 pm every day of the year and has faced customers who would scold or “throw things at her.”

Mdm Tuan admitted being a hawker is a tough job that she did not want her children to follow, so she worked hard to give them a better education.

Ms Chew, who used her bakery business Kea Cakes for the initiative, was able to raise S$500 to purchase 140 orders from Mdm Tuan.

“Her eyes were welling up with gratitude,” said Ms Chew.

Those interested in visiting Mdm Tuan’s stall can do so at Amoy Street Food Centre Level 1. She serves a delicious plate of chicken rice for S$3, with a generous portion of meat, and spicy chilli with a kick, wrote Ms Chew.

She added that the food was delivered to Society for the Aged Sick (SAS), a not-for-profit nursing home. /TISG

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