At first glance, Ms Aisha Tan Xiuzhi is often mistaken for being Malay, something she has grown used to.
The 53-year-old wears a tudung, a beautiful, long dress that resembles a traditional Malay cultural outfit, and a warm smile to welcome patrons into her halal restaurant in Joo Chiat.
But the moment she speaks, a stream of Mandarin flows effortlessly.
“Because of what I wear, people assume I’m Malay, or I’ve converted to Islam. When I say I’m from China, they say they wouldn’t have expected that,” she told me in Mandarin.
We sat in a cosy nook of her noodle restaurant, our conversation occasionally punctuated by soft clattering from the kitchen. Customers were few, but the midday quiet was not business as usual for the establishment. Our visit coincided with Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting from dawn to sunset.
