A Facebook post by Mr Niven Leong, the man behind Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice, went viral on June 11.
In his post, the 64-year-old recounted an incident involving rude and self-entitled customers who demanded to be served despite the stall selling out of chicken rice.
“Our true blue patrons would genuinely be happy to see me sell out early,” Mr Leong wrote.
“However, there were others who showed their self-entitled side that since we had put in the operating hours, we had to adhere strictly to it at their beckoning and not supposed to sell out until the final minute of the advertised time and wait for them to decide whether to come or not.”
The post struck a chord with many netizens, many of whom were long-time fans of Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice. The original stall was run by Mr Leong's late father at the now-defunct Margaret Drive Hawker Centre in the 1970s.
“Don't let a few self-entitled bad eggs ruffle your feathers. Happy for you that your chicken sells out fast and well,” read one comment.
TNP visited Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice at Ubi Recess Time to speak to Mr Leong himself. Though the stall had closed for the day, several groups of long-time customers approached, hoping to snag a plate of his famed chicken rice.
“Even if I’m sold out, I still hang around for a while just in case any customers come in,” Mr Leong explained.
“I always tell them, ‘Take my number – next time before you come, give me a tinkle and I will keep a portion for you.’”
Mr Leong recounted the incident that incited him to pen the fiery Facebook post.
“They came and started scolding people,” he explained, referring to a group of three customers who arrived after the stall had sold out on June 11.
“I understand. Being a hawker, I have to bear with it. But you don’t scold my worker – you want to scold, you scold me.”
The incident left Mr Leong feeling frustrated.
"They simply wanted a piece of the action for fear of losing out to those who have had it," he lamented, highlighting how these customers seemed more focused on being part of a trend than appreciating the effort behind his food.
The chicken rice stall is listed in Michelin guide.
Mr Leong added that there was a lack of respect for the hard work and dedication inherent in the hawker trade.
“People think you become a hawker because you never study, you have no choice,” he said.
“They don’t believe you work hard for it. ‘You stay in a condominium? Oh, maybe your father left you money.’”
Despite the incident, Mr Leong is always happy to see loyal customers who have been patronising Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice since its days in the Margaret Drive Hawker Centre.
“I’ve seen some of them since they were small, now they’re taller than me! They would come and hug me, kiss me, now they are all grown up."
Mr Leong keeps going despite his age, motivated by a deep sense of duty to the legacy of his father, a life-long hawker himself who taught Mr Leong everything he knows about running a hawker business.
“Why must I do this?” he asked, gesturing to a bowl of shallots and garlic that he had diligently been peeling throughout the interview. “It’s because this is what my father taught me.”
Mr Leong boldly proclaimed: “It's only when we do it this way that the flavour comes out. When it comes to food, you cannot fake it.”
This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.
