2014 was a year when we saw some hawker stalls gone with the wind, and older hawkers finding challenge passing down their craft. Many said that Singapore’s heritage food could be facing a crisis.
Yet, we also see young ‘hawkerpreneurs’ leaving their comfortable day jobs to slog it out at hawker stalls, in the name of passion and preserving our local food culture (and hopefully making some money).
Douglas Ng from The Fish Ball Story had gotten much media attention, from Makansutra to The New Paper, for being one who made fishballs by hand.
These babies were made at 4am in the morning by Douglas, using all pure fish meat and no flour, which he proudly said “Quan yong gong fu da chu lai de”, which means they were all produced by true skills.
My first bite into them … oh bouncy, dense, packed, not as airy as I would have imagined.
The truth is, I had almost forgotten how ‘that type’ of handmade fishballs taste like. Most fishballs out there in the market are machine made.
But what I really like about this humble bowl of meepok was the sauce and seasoning, the magic being the homemade sambal chilli paste fried with dried shrimps.
After a little talk with the chatty hawker who used to help run a zhi char place, these were 5 things I have reflected upon.
1. Yes to pride. No manner what your job is, be proud of it and do your best. It will reflect in your work.
2. Yes to perseverance, and no to short cuts. If there is a longer and more tedious way but will lead to better results, pick that.
2. Yes to failures, and still being positive. If you have failed once, twice or thrice, these are experiences which make you stronger and more successful the next time round.
4. Yes to sacrifices. You cannot gain success without sacrificing some things initially, whether it is time or money. But these would be ‘returned’ to you if you persevere.
5. Yes to being appreciative. Every customer who gives you business counts.
Fish Ball Story
#01-85 Golden Mile Hawker Centre, Beach Road, Singapore 199583
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm (Mon-Fri), 9am – 7pm (Sat), 9am – 3pm (Sun)
Note: May sell out earlier on certain days
Other Related Entries
Singapore’s Most Popular Noodle Stalls
Pin Xiang Noodles (Toa Payoh)
Nam Seng Noodles (Far East Square)
Lau Wang Claypot Delights (Serangoon)
Lim Soup (Bt Merah)
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