A common perception of Asians is that we’re not very expressive individuals. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we care less about others, as many wholesome incidents have otherwise proven.
Matthew, a life coach in Singapore who recently fractured his arm, realised this for himself when he visited a Western food stall at Holland Drive Food Centre.
Upon seeing Matthew’s injury, the hawker insisted that he sit down and later brought his order straight to his table.
The hawker even went the extra mile to slice the chicken cutlet into smaller pieces to make it easier for Matthew to eat.
Last Sunday (12 Nov), Matthew Zachary Liu penned a Facebook post documenting the wholesome encounter at Niu Niu Fu Western at Holland Drive Food Centre.
When he placed an order for chicken chop, the hawker asked what happened to his arm.
Matthew explained that he had recently fractured his arm from a fall and had to undergo surgery to have plates inserted.
Source: Matthew Zachary Liu on Facebook
When the hawker learned about this, they immediately said, “Aiyo! 去坐!”, instructing him to take a seat while they prepared his food.
Moments later, the hawker returned to the table with Matthew’s order, even though customers typically collect their own food at hawker stalls.
While the table service was touching enough, Matthew was even more moved by the state of the food that he received.
He realised that the hawker had thoughtfully cut the piece of meat into smaller pieces so he wouldn’t have to struggle to do that himself.
“I helped to cut it up so it’d be easier for you to eat,” explained the hawker in Mandarin.
Moved by the kind gesture, Matthew proceeded to thank them profusely.
Upon reflection, Matthew realised that there have been other instances after his fracture where others have extended compassion to him.
He recalled bus captains waiting for him to sit down before moving off as well as other members of the public giving way when he was passing through.
For Matthew, he said that it was “quite paiseh” or embarrassing to be on the receiving end of such gestures. He also noticed that people would often just respond with a silent nod when he thanked them.
Nonetheless, Matthew concluded that it did not matter whether Singaporeans were verbal with their kind gestures. After all, the good intentions behind our actions still shine through despite our ‘inexpressive’ approach.
His post has since been reposted by Madam Ho Ching and the Singapore Kindness Movement.
We sat down with Matthew last December for an exclusive interview. Learn more about him here.
Know more inspiring individuals like Matthew? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Matthew Zachary Liu on Facebook and Facebook.
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