Many of us, at some point in our lives, must’ve had the experience of struggling to find cash when we’re next in line to purchase something.
The likely outcome in such scenarios would involve us deserting the queue completely, in fear of holding up those waiting behind.
Recently, a lady was seen struggling to pay for a bowl of laksa at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre.
Even though she couldn’t find any cash to pay for the food, the stall owners decided to belanja her.
Touched by the hawkers’ kind gesture during such difficult times, a customer who witnessed the incident took to Facebook on Saturday (22 May) to share the encounter.
She also urged Singaporeans to support hawkers during this period of tightened Covid restrictions. You can read the full post here.
According to the post, Facebook user Ms Seah had visited Hong Lim Market & Food Centre to purchase laksa on Friday (21 May).
When the stall owners were handing Ms Seah her food, she noticed a lady beside her fiddling with her phone.
The hawkers then told the lady “小妹，如果不可以，我们请你吃啦”, which translates to, “Young lady, it’s okay if you can’t, we can give you a treat”.
Turns out, the lady is a foreigner who did not have any Singapore currency nor a local bank account.
Therefore, she was struggling to figure out how to get her overseas banking app to work, but did not succeed in doing so.
Sensing the predicament that the lady was in, Ms Seah offered to belanja her the bowl of laksa.
The lady was apparently apologetic and couldn’t bring herself to accept the free food.
While they were going back and forth about the treat, the stall owners had already prepared a packet of laksa and proceeded to hand it to the lady.
When Ms Seah attempted to pay for the food, the uncle and auntie apparently refused.
The lady was extremely thankful for the food and assured the hawkers that she would return the next day to pay.
Witnessing the encounter firsthand, Ms Seah was extremely touched by the hawkers’ generosity and kindness at a time when F&B establishments are having it tough.
Apparently, at the time of Ms Seah lunchtime visit, there was no queue at the laksa stall in question.
Despite this, they were unreserved when it came to helping the distressed lady.
Touched by the hawkers’ kind actions, Ms Seah took the opportunity to urge Singaporeans to patronise hawkers, especially those who are illiterate or ‘offline’.
If you’re curious about which laksastall Ms Seah patronised, here are the deets:
Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa
Address: 531A Upper Cross Street #02-77 Hong Lim Food Centre Singapore 051531
Opening hours: 10.15am-3pm (Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat) Closed on Sunday and Thursday
Nearest MRT: Chinatown Station
Kudos to the laksa hawkers for belanja-ing the lady, ensuring that she didn’t go hungry.
It’s especially heartening to hear of hawkers doing such generous deeds during a period when business is slow.
We hope Singaporeans will show their support by patronising these stalls. However, do adhere to safety measures while doing so, and avoid crowded places as much as possible.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at hello@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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