If you’re a fan of popular chicken rice stall Thailand Chicken Rice at Golden Mile Food Centre, you might want to head down to grab a bite before it closes on December 14.
The stall will be taking a three-week break till January 6 as Johor-born hawker May Lee, 52, will be undergoing surgery for her hands which are swollen as her “blood circulation is blocked”.
“The doctor will operate the area near the end of the palm and wrist to allow the blood to circulate,” she tells 8days.sg in Mandarin. She will get surgery on her right hand first and then the left a few months later.
Hand pain “common among hawkers”
While May admits she does not know exactly what ailment she is suffering from as she “did not ask the doctor”, she says it is an “occupational hazard”: “It is common among hawkers as we are constantly doing the same repeated actions, which causes strain to our bodies.”
May also suffers from hand tremors due to a kidney-related condition she’s born with, though she says the tremors have not worsened in recent years and the operation isn’t directly due to this.
Pain has persisted for half a year
May has been experiencing pain in her wrists for more than six months and her hands frequently go numb or cramp up.
She tells us she has trouble lifting heavy things and it hurts when she chops chicken.
“Sometimes when there are a lot of orders, I will be a bit slow ’cos it really hurts,” she shares.
Closure could result in $6K loss in net income
May, who runs her stall single-handedly, was initially reluctant to go for surgery as she “can still bear with the pain”. The loss of net income from the stall’s closure, which the mother-of-one estimates to be around $6,000, is also a concern.
And if she suffers an infection, the closure could be extended.
“Fortunately, I can get a deduction in rent and cleaning fees. I was told that I can submit my MC to NEA,” she claims.
Arrives at stall 3am daily
May’s stall is known for it’s Thai-style chicken rice — which is very similar to our local version — and potent chilli dip that tastes a lot like nam jim, a punchy Thai dipping sauce often paired with seafood.
Everything is prepared from scratch at her tiny stall. She arrives at around 3am daily and by 6am, she is ready for business. May only takes a break every few months when the hawker centre is closed for washing. She has a 17-year-old daughter, who is studying in a polytechnic, but May would rather she not help out as “she is blur”.
While business is a lot better now compared to when she first opened in 2020, May sells a maximum of 20 chickens (from $4 a plate to $26 for a whole bird) a day as this is all she can manage. In the early days, she could only sell just four chickens a day and was “losing money” every month.
“I am now earning enough to put three meals on the table. If I want to make more money, I cannot afford to take a break,” says May, who runs the stall alone as she doesn’t want to be dependent on staff and cost is also an issue.
“I might be able to sell more with the extra help, but wages are not low. It costs around $2,800 to hire a stall assistant,” she says.
“I will go home when I sell out for the day, usually before 3pm, compared to 6pm. Just be contented [with what I earn].”
Thailand Chicken Rice is at #B1-39 Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Rd, S199583. Tel: 93871217. Open daily from 7am till sold out. Closed from Dec 14 to Jan 6.
Photos: Alvin Teo
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