LOOKING FOR SUCCESSOR
Unlike the thick, fluffy min jiang kueh Singaporeans are familiar with, Loh serves up thin, crispy pancakes that bear some resemblance to the Malaysian variety known as apam balik.
Earlier, when he was in a more jovial mood, he shared that he’d been selling crispy pancakes for 30 years. He’s currently looking for a successor to take over the stall. “It’s difficult to find someone to train, as the person needs to be really interested to persist in this (hawker) business”.
He has three children, but none of them are likely to take over his stall, he says. “One of my daughters lives in the US, she got married there,” he shares.
USED TO WORK IN AMERICA
Loh also said he used to work in a seafood restaurant in California. After returning to Singapore, he opened a hawker stall to sell pancakes. He has been at the current Yishun stall for about 15 years and before that, had operated a stall at Lau Pa Sat. He lamented: “Maybe business would be better if my stall is advertised online, but I’m not sure if people can find it (because of its quiet corner location).”
We’re confused by Loh’s mixed signals: Does he want publicity, or does he not? He later told us he “won’t pay money” for our coverage even after we repeatedly assured him that we would not charge for this feature.
He then added that someone else (a blogger, perhaps?) had come by earlier and asked if he wanted to be featured in return for a fee.