So after work, I will go to different places to packet the dinner. There is this hawker centre near my office that sells very good food, and at very reasonable prices.
One evening, I discovered a new stall that sells claypot dishes. I decided to give it a try and ordered enough food for 5 of us. It turned out that the food was VERY good, and my in-laws liked it alot and were looking forward to try the other dishes.
In particular, his pork leg vinegar was very nice. I will easily say that it's his signature dish.
So the stall became a regular place where I packet my dinner. And I got to know the stallholder better. He told me of his wish to open a little restaurant, as opposed to being a small stallholder in a hawker centre. After all, having a restaurant will justify increasing the price of his claypot from $3 to maybe $6 or more.
Anyway we got along so well that he asked if I was interested in having a joint venture together. I was pretty caught by surprise by his offer, but I just laugh it off. Food industries was one of the industry I least preferred.
Singapore is a place where you can find some of the most picky eaters. As long as the food is good, people are willing to queue for hours. So it didn't take long for the other people to know about the stall, and soon the lunchtime queue got pretty long for this stall.
About a month after it's opening, the stall closed down without a trace.
Why would any thriving business close down after a month? My conclusion is that the stallholder had probably found someone else as a joint partner, and probably went off elsewhere to set up a little restaurant that he has always dreamed.
Sometimes, I still wonder if this inaction of mine has caused me to lose a business opportunity. After all, I didn't need to know how to cook in order to set up a restaurant. I just needed someone who could cook damn well - an opportunity was right in front of me offering itself, and there I was, hesitating.
Somewhere out there, there is probably a group of people enjoying his popular Claypot Pork Leg Vinegar.
And I wished him all the best. ^_^
4 comments:
I believe everything happens for a reason. At least you got to enjoy his "chee kiok cho".
Although you can always be a passive partner, going into food business isn't easy.
I like the pork leg vinegar sauce but I don't eat pork. It's true :)
A lot of people don't eat pork these days. I wonder if it has anything to do with the pictures that were circulating some years back about the worms in the meat after some cola drink was poured onto the meat. Have you heard of or seen the pictures? I believe every kind of food has worms, including raw fish in Japanese cuisine. I read that people who like to eat raw fish have a high probability of having tapeworms in them.
HappySurfer:
I saw the coke pouring on meat pictures. Thought that was likely a fake. Have you seen a similar one with bamboo chopsticks with worms inside?
Mei Teng:
Pork has too much fat. I tend to prefer lean meat.
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