Man relives student days with wallet-friendly poly lunch
Amid increased food prices due to rising inflation, one man has a hack to “beat the price”.
“Go back to your poly to eat,” suggests Kelvin Aung, 28, co-founder of creative studio AMShots.
In a TikTok video posted on 6 Nov, Kelvin and his coworkers are seen enjoying lunch at Food Court 2 in Singapore Polytechnic (SP).
The men enjoy good food at economical prices, served in generous portions by the stall vendors.
Source: kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok
In the video, they have a substantial plate of economy rice for S$3.40, a large plate of Japanese curry omelette rice with chicken cutlets for about S$6, two pieces of roti prata with curry for S$3, and a plate of nasi padang for S$7 as the only slightly pricier option.
Source: kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok
Strong hit of nostalgia
Kelvin also reminisces about his school days in the video, as he interacts with the same vendors who used to feed him daily.
Source: kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok
He also strolls around the faculty where he studied, remembering his time as a maritime studies student.
Netizens share memories
Resonating with Kelvin’s video, many SP students and alumni rushed to the comments section to discuss their collective love for the school’s canteens.
Source: kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok
Source: kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok
Source: kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok
One commenter, a 2004 graduate, reminisced about their time as an SP student.
Source: kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok
Some TikTok users were also surprised that the public were allowed to enter the school to eat at the canteen.
Man actually returns to SP rather regularly
Speaking to MS News, Kelvin revealed he actually returns to SP with his team for lunch “from time to time”.
It is convenient for them as their creative agency’s office is about a 10-minute drive from the campus.
Beyond convenience, he values the affordable prices, delicious food, and deep sense of nostalgia.
Kelvin studied at SP from 2016 to 2020, spending four years there after repeating a year.
During his student days, his go-to meals were cai fan and the “monster” Japanese curry.
He recalled often eating alone while watching his favourite basketball show, describing those quiet lunch breaks as a “little getaway” after both good and bad days.
Stalls & familiar faces remain after a decade
Kelvin shared that food prices have barely changed since his schooling days.
A hearty plate of the “monster” curry with egg still costs S$6, while cai fan costs around S$4.
He added that even visiting at around 1:30 pm, his team does not encounter long queues when they return to SP for lunch.
While some stalls have changed over the past decade, several familiar vendors still operate there today.
Kelvin said the friendly stallholders still remember him warmly as the “dark-skinned kid who can speak Chinese”.
Although he studied Mandarin in school, Kelvin shared that he is actually of Burmese heritage.
Creative agency owner plans tribute for retiring vendor
Kelvin also shared his thoughts on his beloved cai fan uncle, who mentioned plans to retire soon.
Source: kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok
He said:
It does hit me because I grew up in poly eating this food and I loved it. I will surely bring more people to support him. But I know [it] is a part of life we all will retire some day.
TikTok commenters mentioned that the vendor has served students at SP since 2014.
To commemorate the uncle’s final days at work, Kelvin hopes to surprise him with a professional photoshoot through his creative agency.
Overall, Kelvin is glad his video has connected past and present SP students who share fond memories of the canteen.
Also read: S’poreans share heartwarming stories of how teachers & lecturers made a difference in their lives
S’poreans share heartwarming stories of how teachers & lecturers made a difference in their lives
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Featured image adapted from kelvinaungkhantlinn on TikTok.