Earlier this month, a post urging support for a char kway teow stall in Ang Mo Kio (AMK) went viral. A young man with learning difficulties had stepped up to helm the stall in light of his parents’ ailments — his father had cancer, and his mother was recovering from a stroke.
Since then, the stall has seen long lines of customers eager to show their support.
Some patrons even placed bulk orders to boost the stall’s business — one of them reportedly bought 70 packets at a go.
In an interview with BestFoody, Mrs Hu, the young man’s mother, shared that the stall was once run by her and her husband, Mr Hu.
However, Mr Hu was diagnosed with cancer and is semi-retired due to his condition.
Mrs Hu, who self-professed to be a skilled char kway teow cook, also suffered a stroke that left her with weak hands.
As the couple struggled to keep the stall running, their son rose to the challenge of being the head cook.
Despite being born with learning difficulties, the youngest Hu has apparently picked up about 60 to 70% of his father’s culinary skills.
As such, Mr Hu hopes customers would be open to trying his son’s cooking while giving him “some encouragement”.
Elaborating on her son’s condition, Mrs Hu shared that her son had difficulties attending school and was also exempted from serving National Service.
Her son’s condition has since improved, and he is more open to communicating with others.
Last Saturday (5 July), a netizen named Philip Li took to Facebook to share about his visit to the “humble stall”.
Source: Philip Li on Facebook
He shared that the stall’s opening hours can be erratic due to a host of factors. These range from rainy weather, which apparently triggers the son’s anxiety, to fatigue.
Li accused other netizens of judging the family, even though they were unaware of the “quiet battles behind the shutters”.
The post has since gone viral, with over 500 shares at the time of writing.
A video accompanying the post showed the son manning the wok while Mrs Hu supervised from beside him.
Source: Philip Li on Facebook
Residents from across the island soon flocked to the stall to support the family.
A Facebook post on Thursday (10 July) showed at least five customers in line.
Source: Patrick Tan on Facebook
According to Shin Min Daily News, one customer had even ordered 70 portions at one go.
If you are thinking of heading down to support the Hu family, here’s how you can get there:
Bendemeer Fresh Cockles Fried Kway Teow
Address: 409 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, #01-13, Singapore 560409
Opening hours: 10.30am – 6.30pm (Wed – Sun), closed on Mon and Tues
Nearest MRT: Ang Mo Kio Station
Also read: Hawker School For Disabled Still Open For Takeaways, Has Delivery Via Wheelchair To Nearby Locations
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Featured image adapted from Patrick Tan on Facebook and Philip Li on Facebook.