The kway chup that survived arson

It takes dedication to perfect your craft, but the real test is when the fruits of your labour are turned to ashes, and literally so in this case. Meet the two hawkers who let nothing stand between them and their family business.

Tay Siow Phong and Er Beng Yeo, aged 74 and 70 respectively, have been kway chap hawkers for 50 years. The unique Teochew dish consists of flat white noodles cut into large squares, served in a rich brown broth. All sorts of braised pig organs come on the side, everything from the meat, skin, ear, tongue, and of course intestines, along with hard-boiled eggs and taupok (beancurd puffs). Preparing and selling the dish at 493 Jurong West seemed like a routine part of their lives, but it took an abrupt turn when the entire coffee shop was set ablaze. Unfazed, their determination and fervour shone through in their journey to building their business back up from scratch.

The fire made headlines on newspapers and social media. Flames engulfed block 493 in Jurong West after an intentional act of arson in the wee hours of the morning. Overnight, the hawkers’ lives had changed completely. Their stall was gone and all the equipment inside were irretrievable. A temporary site was erected for the stallholders of the adjacent wet market, but Mr Tay and Mdm Er had to look for a new coffee shop stall to rent and start all over again.

Most people their age would have taken this as a sign from the heavens that it was time to move on into retirement. After all what are the chances of your workplace being burnt down in the middle of the night? But Mr Tay and Mdm Er refused to quit. Their persistence stems from their years of dedication to the trade. Mr Tay, who is Teochew, comes from a family of hawkers and first began as one when he was just a teenager. After their marriage, he influenced Mdm Er to join him in selling kway chap. They named the business “Bukit Merah View Kway Chap” after the area where the stall was located. They relocated to Tahoe Garden Eating House at 493 Jurong West a few years later and rose in popularity to become one of the most popular stalls in the area. Waiting times during weekday lunch hours were approximately 30 minutes. “They are very popular, even some of my students have heard of them,” says their daughter Miss Tay Yan Fen, 36, who is a secondary school teacher.

Mr Tay describes being a hawker as very hard work, especially when you have queues as long as theirs. “They have to leave home by 5:30am” to prepare food before opening, Miss Tay said. Dealing with pigs’ innards means extensive and thorough washing to make sure all the ingredients are clean. Manpower is another issue as employees are becoming increasingly difficult to find. “Not many Singaporeans will fancy this line of work,” Mr Tay admits. On the other hand, the experience has been extremely rewarding too. The couple have become friends with many of their fellow stallholders and some loyal customers. Meeting and interacting with people is one of the reasons why they love their job so much.

In fact, they were notified of the fire by a friend from the wet market. “We were nervous and shocked,” Mdm Er recalled, “Everything was burnt down.” Without any source of income, they spent the next eight to nine months being as thrifty as possible. Sitting around at home all day also made them feel bored and lethargic, so Mdm Er used the time to visit distant relatives such as her aunts whom she only sees during Chinese New Year. The drastic change made it feel like they had lost the life they once had, but they did not lose their passion for their job. On the 23rd of June, 2017, they rolled up their shutters once again but this time it was at a brand new stall, just a stone’s throw away from where their old stall was. It took them months to secure the lease and purchase new equipment. Despite initial uncertainty, they sold out completely by 1:30pm. It was tiring for the both of them as they had taken such a long break, but they were glad to be on their feet again, doing what they love. They have thoughts of retiring in one or two years as they are getting older but have no plans as of yet on who will take over the business. Their three children are not involved with the business and Miss Tay says the tough labour is not her cup of tea.

For now, Mr Tay and Mdm Er’s story of perseverance and passion be served in their piping hot bowls of kway chap and fresh side ingredients at 496 Jurong West.