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Turtle soup stall in Jalan Besar closing after 60 years due to owner's poor health: 'Nothing I can do about it'

Turtle soup stall in Jalan Besar closing after 60 years due to owner's poor health: 'Nothing I can do about it'

Turtle soup stall in Jalan Besar closing after 60 years due to owner's poor health: 'Nothing I can do about it'
Very Lucky Turtle Soup will be shutting down after more than six decades.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Carol Ong

After more than 40 years at Berseh Food Centre in Jalan Besar, Very Lucky Turtle Soup will be shuttering for good in end August.

The stall, which specialises in traditional turtle soup and various other dishes like crocodile stew, vinegar pork trotters and other claypot dishes, will be permanently closing as its second-generation owner Bobby Chu has decided to retire after more than four decades of running it.

His parents originally started out at a roadside stall in 1960, making the business more than six decades old. 

As his parents aged and his mother fell sick, he took over the business and moved it to its current location together with his wife, who died 10 years ago. 

"I was really touched," the hawker told AsiaOne when we visited the stall on Tuesday (June 17), recalling their memories of running the stall together as a family unit. 

The business started out as a roadside stall run by current owner Bobby Chu's parents in 1960. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Carol Ong

At 65, Bobby is on his feet 13 hours a day to serve up bowls of traditional turtle soup, and the long hours proved to have taken a toll on his health — especially after he had a fall in April. 

He was hospitalised for three weeks. 

Bobby shared that his doctor then advised him against standing for such long hours, which was the main reason why he has had to shutter his stall.

"The doctor told me not to stand so much. If I continue on like this, I'll really become wheelchair-bound. That's why I have to give up on the business," he said. 

Bobby Chu is on his feet 13 hours a day helming the traditional turtle soup stall. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Tan Yuanru

But the decision wasn't an easy one. 

"From 1981 until now, I really can't bear [to shut down the store]. But there's nothing I can do about it," he lamented. 

Having run the stall for so many years, Bobby was candid about his sadness over its closure and his reluctance towards ending his legacy.

"I've been doing this for 40 years. I really can't put it down, I can't. But I really can't [continue] with it. With my health condition, I can't do it. I'll miss this place too. I've been here for 40 years, I spent more time here than at home. Who wouldn't miss it?" he expressed. 

Bobby isn't the only one disappointed by the stall's closure.

The hawker shared that many of his regular customers have expressed that they, too, "can't bear" to say goodbye to the stall. 

"I told them there's nothing that can be done even if they feel that way," Bobby stated. 

Some had even asked where he was going to set up his next stall, to which he said: "There's no more [next stall]. I'm retiring." 

For the customers that have been patronising his stall, the hawker stated that he was "very thankful". 

"Thank you for your support and love. A million thank yous," he said.

Bobby shared that he's willing to sell his recipe and act as a mentor to those interested in his craft. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Tan Yuanru

But there's still a glimmer of hope that the stall's legacy could continue in some form. 

The hawker said that he was willing to sell his recipe for $40,000. 

He would also teach the buyer everything he knows about cooking, including but not limited to his traditional turtle soup, as well as making visits to their stall to provide in-person guidance and check-ins. 

Very Lucky Turtle Soup serves a variety of dishes like traditional turtle soup, claypot dishes and different stewed herbal soups. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Tan Yuanru

"Good things have to be shared. If they can learn my recipe, I'll be very happy," Bobby said. 

And while many long-time hawkers have chosen to pass the baton to their children, like Bobby's parents did with him, he has decided against it. 

The father of two shared that part of the reason was that his sons were working in other industries, one as a manager and one as a pork seller, and they "wouldn't know how" to take over his stall. 

"To pick up my craft, you'll have to have the heart to do it. Without heart, you won't be able to do it," he explained. 

As for what Bobby's plans are after retiring, he shared that he's planning to just rest. 

And if the opportunity arises with someone willing to buy his recipe, he would like to act as a mentor to them, continuing on to guide them even after their new stall opens. 

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carol.ong@asiaone.com

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