Chinatown hawker wins praise for treating elderly man to free meal and $5 after each visit: 'Spread the love'
Melvin Chew is a second-generation hawker who runs a braised duck and kway chap stall in Chinatown. He provides free meals and five dollars to a man in his 70s who visits weekly. Chew first met the man while he was selling newspapers at Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre. Because the man has autism, Chew and others bought newspapers from him to offer support. The routine began after the man expressed interest in a meal while walking past the stall. Chew describes these actions as a way to spread love.
An elderly man's weekly visits to a Chinatown hawker stall have become a heartwarming routine, with the hawker treating him to a free meal and giving him $5 after each visit. Melvin Chew, 47, a second-generation hawker who operates Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap in Chinatown, told AsiaOne that the elderly man, in his 70s, regularly visits his stall, where Chew would treat him to a free serving of kway chap."He has autism, so we would always buy newspapers from him to support him," said Chew, adding that he first got to know him when he was selling newspapers at Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre.On one occasion, he walked past Chew's stall and expressed an interest in having a meal, prompting Chew to treat him, which eventually became a regular arrangement."He comes once or twice a week. Since we used to give him some kopi money when he was selling newspapers, we just continued giving him $5 after every meal," Chew said.Describing their bond as closer to a friendship than a typical hawker-customer relationship, Chew said he was happy to continue looking out for the elderly man.