'My palms are always peeling': Young man on helping to keep family's fishball business going

Hawker food is an essential part of our local culture, and we've learned of younger generations of hawkers who have continued their family businesses. 

Delonix Tan is one shining example of a youth helping to keep his family's hawker business alive. 

In a TikTok video posted on April 16, the 25-year-old shared a video of what it's like to help out at his family's fishball stall, Heng Kee Fishball & Yong Tau Foo, at Kim Keat Palm Market and Food Centre.

In the video, Delonix and his father are seen chopping up the fish meat and preparing the ingredients to make the fishballs. 

@sandaifishball Making memories and fish balls with dad 🐟👨‍👧‍👦❤️ #sandaifishball ♬ original sound - 三代鱼圆 SanDai Fishball

 

He mentioned that he helps out at the stall on a part-time basis as he has a full-time job. He does regional sales for a local company, where he sells photocopier consumables and spare parts.

As to how he finds the motivation to work on a Sunday?

"Whenever I think about my dad, my mum and my grandmother, I just get a huge surge of energy that helps me get off the bed," Delonix said. "Because I know how brutal it is to run the business."

He has contemplated taking over the business, but his parents are not supportive of it as they are aware of the hardship he will face. 

In addition to that, Delonix is worried that if he does take over the business, his parents might not be able to retire as no one will be available to help him out. 

For now, he is going to continue helping once a week and will make the decision to continue the family business when his parents eventually decide to retire. 

Delonix's dedication to his family's business has garnered praise, with one user in the comments section of his video calling him "a rare gem". 

In the video, Delonix also admitted how he spent his teenage years waking up on a Sunday and "dreading" having to set aside time at the stall while his peers were out "partying and having fun". 

To this, some commenters have encouraged and assured him that he was doing the right thing.

A day in the life of a fishball maker

In another video, he mentioned that he starts his day at 12am and makes his way to the shop at 1am. 

@sandaifishball Daily routine of a fishball maker 🌚 ☀️ #sandaifishball ♬ Funk It Up - Official Sound Studio

 

Then, the family will start preparing the fishballs. This involves chopping the fish into tiny bits, grinding them into a paste with water and rolling them up into tiny balls. He mentions that his grandma has been making fishballs since the '60s.

@sandaifishball A day in the life of a fishball maker 😆 #sandaifishball ♬ Sunroof - Nicky Youre & dazy

Avoiding flavour enhancers and food additives, their fishball contains only three ingredients: water, fish and salt. 

Everything is set at 6am, and they are open till 10am, followed by closing the shop at 12pm. 

In another TikTok video, he went on to elaborate the challenges he faces in being a hawker.

Even at a young age, he feels the effects of working long, gruelling hours. On top of being sleep deprived, he mentioned that he would wear "thick sports shoes" to prevent his heels from aching.

He also shared that his "palms are always peeling", possibly from the arduous fishball-making process.

He was a young Amoy Street hawker

Delonix used to run his own hawker stall at Amoy Street in April 1 2020. 

According to Delonix, he was 21 when he registered for the National Environment Agency (NEA) Incubation Stall Programme, a subsidised scheme for aspiring hawkers to set up their business. He eventually opened his own stall — Sandai Fishball — on April 1. 

Unfortunately, he had no choice but to shut it down temporarily, as a result of the circuit breaker that was implemented after four days of operations.

The stall reopened on June 2. 

In a post on the stall's Instagram page, Delonix announced the closure of his stall on Aug 14 2020. 

"Like many other CBD hawkers and businesses, we have been badly hit by the lack of footfall in CBD due to the majority of the workforce working from home," he said in the caption. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, he mentioned that he brought the Sandai Fishball signboard to the stall beside his family's stall so that people can still recognise the brand. 

Now, he uses Sandai Fishball's social accounts to create an online presence for his family's business.

"I want to focus more on building a brand online so if I decide to take over, I will have more channels to sell, be it business-to-consumer or business-to-business," he said. 

He also finds the name of his stall catchier, and it will resonate more with the younger generation.

What's the catchy part? "Sandai" loosely translates to third generation in Chinese.

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venkat.gunasellan@asiaone.com

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