Page 46 - Our Hawker Stories

Now, Kim Song’s stall is still up and running, and it is
loved by many. Other hawker stalls — and even entire
hawker centres — are just as cherished. This is not the
only one. There are many, and it goes to show how food
— or perhaps just hawker centres in general — can unite
people, especially in Singapore. Tucked into a corner of
the Bedok 85 Fengshan Hawker Centre was a stall called
Shi Wei Da Satay Bee Hoon. For thirty years, it was run
by an older man named Ng Kim Song. He, along with
many loyal customers, held the stall dear. It was well-
known among locals for its generous portions of mouth-
watering bee hoon served with rich, nutty gravy. It even
won a Michelin Bib Gourmand!

However, one day, Kim Song’s stall had to close down.
It was sold suddenly and unexpectedly. Although it was
difficult, he knew he had to shut down the beloved stall
in the end. year, it was announced that the stall would be reopening
at the same hawker centre. People commented joyfully
On the day Kim Song was going to close his stall, the upon hearing the news. When the stall reopened, the
familiar, comforting scent of his well-known gravy wafted queue was full of people who had loved what Kim Song
up to his nostrils. He felt a pang of pity and sadness had made before its closure.
wash over him. He could finally get a break, but at the
cost of losing the stall he had grown attached to over
many years. Regular customers, and even people from
different parts of Singapore, came to have one final taste “When Kim Song’s stall reopened, it felt like
of his decadent food. an old friend had come back — hawker food

Finally, Kim Song’s stall closed for good. Customers isn’t just tasty, it’s part of who we are.”
showed their appreciation to the stall and its owner
online, on the stall’s official Facebook page. They shared Niduaza Eunice Nicole Antigo
their experiences at the stall, with one even reminiscing P6.1
that they had been eating there since childhood. North Spring Primary School

Although the closure of Kim Song’s stall happened long
ago, the stall’s Facebook page remained. In December last

42 Our Hawker Stories