Very Lucky Turtle Soup stall closing after doctors advise owner not to stand for too long
After more than six decades in business, a turtle soup stall in Jalan Besar is closing for good due to its owner’s health.
While Very Lucky Turtle Soup in Berseh Food Centre will bid farewell in August, its recipes may live on if somebody is willing to pay S$40,000 for them.
Jalan Besar turtle soup hospitalised for 3 weeks
The owner, 65-year-old Mr Chua Yoke Lin, told Shin Min Daily News that he suddenly felt unwell after opening the stall on Good Friday (18 April).
Feeling weakness in his legs, he was rushed to the hospital, where doctors told him he had been infected with a virus.
He ended up being hospitalised for about three weeks.
Mr Chua typically stands for as long as 14 hours a day, operating the stall from 9am to 11pm, he said.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Due to this, his legs have poor blood circulation, and doctors warned him that he might become permanently disabled if he keeps this up.
Jalan Besar turtle soup stall closing by end-August
After being discharged, Mr Chua rested for a few weeks, then decided to close the stall by the end of August.
The stall will be returned to the authorities, he said, professing not to have any regrets as his mother had told him not to feel sorry about closing down.
“Good health is the most important”, and he does not want to have to rely on crutches in the future, he added, expressing the desire to have a good rest after retirement.
Owner has been running stall for 44 years
Very Lucky Turtle Soup was started by Mr Chua’s parents in the 1960s, he said.
Life was hard for them at the time, but they managed to find a source of income by chance.
While he helped out at the stall since he was young, Mr Chua left for months to learn how to cook claypot rice.
Eventually, however, he returned to take over the business and has been running the current stall since 1981.
It became known for its large variety of more than 20 dishes, including its signature soft-shell turtle soup, crocodile soup, claypot rice, rice wine chicken and double-boiled soup.
Mr Chua said that after the slaughter of Chinese pond turtles was banned in Singapore, the stall used soft-shell turtles imported from Indonesia.
While his business improved by more than 50% in the 1990s after a well-known coach recommended turtle soup to athletes, the bump lasted just seven to eight years before it faded.
Now, most of his customers are older people, he added.
Turned down sons’ offers to take over
Unlike many other beloved hawkers in Singapore, Mr Chua’s two sons had indicated that they were interested in taking over the business.
One of them is a manager and the other is a pork supplier.
However, while they had helped out in the stall before, they did not do it for very long, he said, adding:
You need to be dedicated to do this business. If you are not interested, it will be difficult to do it for a long time.
Thus, he turned down their offers to succeed him.
Willing to sell recipes for S$40K
The taste of Mr Chua’s food may live on, though — if someone is willing to buy his recipes.
He told Shin Min that he would be willing to sell them for about S$40,000 to someone interested to learn his skills.
He would teach that person everything he knows and even come over to their stall to give advice, he said.
“Those who are willing to learn will be able to master it in one week to several weeks,” he added.
Also read: Owner Of ABC Brickworks Fishball Stall Hopes To Sell Recipe For S$500K, Wants To Retire
Owner Of ABC Brickworks Fishball Stall Hopes To Sell Recipe For S$500K, Wants To Retire
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and TheSmartLocal.
