Ex-stewardess turned hawker on finding love in Taiwan and growing her business — and family

Thus began her stint as a waitress in a hotel restaurant in Taiwan, where Hsu was working as a chef — and the rest is history.

“We had a long distance (relationship) for about four years after I left Taiwan,” she said.

When asked how the pair managed to maintain their relationship while living more than 3,000 kilometres apart, Tan burst into laughter.

“Actually, to be honest, long distance is way easier than having a normal relationship,” she said, chuckling.

“All I had to do is give (him) a call. You know it’s only for this person, and every time I see him, we’re always happy,” she added.

Flying is not all glitz and glam

After her internship in Taiwan ended, Tan went on to join Singapore Airlines and fulfill her dream of becoming an air stewardess.

Though she enjoyed travelling the world and “looking pretty” in the process, she told Stomp that the job is not all glitz and glamour.

“People think that cabin crew have a glamorous job. From the outside it looks like that, but (there’s) also all the hard work and sacrifices we make,” she said. Having to stay on her feet for long hours was one of the biggest challenges on the job.

While there were some overlaps between her relationship with Hsu and her time as an air stewardess from 2018 to 2024, Tan recalled being scheduled for a flight to Taipei only once in her six years of flying.

By then, Hsu had already moved to Singapore for work, closing the long-distance chapter of their relationship. They later got married in 2018.

From flying to frying

After flying with SQ for a few years, Tan began toying with the idea of switching careers, citing the limited career progression. She also knew she wanted to become a mother someday, forcing her to reconsider her air stewardess job so she would have more time with her family.

The catalyst for her eventual departure from her cabin crew gig in 2024, however, was her husband’s dream to start his own eatery in Singapore.

“He really wanted to start his own business and I think it’s very difficult for a foreigner to do everything by himself,” Tan explained. The English language and local administrative processes were two unfamiliar hurdles that Hsu needed to navigate.

“So I thought, okay lah, I’ll give him a helping hand,” she said.

Though reception has been largely positive since they opened, Tan shared that business has suffered from rising costs due to the Middle East war — costs that she and Hsu have borne.

“Ever since the price surge, we haven’t increased any of our prices. We’ll try to absorb it for as long as we can,” she said.

Pushing through despite the challenges

When asked if she missed flying, Tan replied in the affirmative — pointing out that her current earnings as a hawker stall owner vastly differ from the stable income she received as a stewardess.

“There are times business isn’t as good. Especially (this past June), business was so bad, both my outlets were not doing very well.”

“And then with a kid coming, sometimes you question yourself,” she pondered. That said, Tan admits it’s “nice” that as a business owner, she has “a lot of freedom”.

One thing that has kept them going, is the spiritual guidance they received in Taiwan. The couple consulted two different fortune tellers there, who each agreed that starting the hawker business was a good idea and it “will turn out well”.

“This business is like our first baby, so (we’ll keep going) for as long as we can sustain in this economy,” Tan said.

Though 2026 has proven challenging for the hawker couple, they are excited to see where life takes them once their child is born.

Tan told Stomp that she hopes to return to the hawker stall next year after adjusting to motherhood. The pair is already looking to start a new concept or open another Taiwanese teppanyaki outlet — with the baby’s help, she joked.

“Hopefully, the baby better start working soon! As soon as you can walk, come (to the stall) already!”

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