\n<\/p>\n
The first week was rough. Unlike at the hotel, Uncle Ah Teck had to do everything himself, from food prep to cooking and washing dishes and the stall. By the time he got home, it was around 9pm.<\/p>\n
Now that he has a stall assistant, things are easier. \u201cIn fact, I work shorter hours here than at the hotel. I used to start work at 4am at the hotel, now I wake up at 5am,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s since settled into the routine and has no complaints. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten used to it and don\u2019t feel tired. If I don\u2019t work, I\u2019ll be bored at home. It\u2019s not good to just do nothing at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for a pay cut? Barely noticeable, it seems.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, even though I have worked at the hotel for decades, my salary wasn\u2019t very high because I don\u2019t want to be a head chef. They wanted to promote me but I declined \u2013 once you rise up the ranks, you lose your freedom,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI prefer to have less responsibilities. When time\u2019s up, I knock off. I don\u2019t want to think so much. If this business does well, I\u2019m confident that I can make more than I did at the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
These days, G spends his mornings and weekends at the stall observing and helping with some simple food prep. Though his dad has shared the recipe with him, G hasn\u2019t started cooking yet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStill under training. When he\u2019s ready, I\u2019ll let him try,\u201d said Uncle Ah Teck. \u201cIf I think it\u2019s up to standard, I will let him cook, but I will still be around to supervise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n G reckons it would take about two years before he\u2019s ready to take over.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy dad is very active. Working for two more years is not an issue for him, but it is for me. I am not quite ready \u2019cos I don\u2019t have a [cooking] base,\u201d he admitted. \u201cRight now, I am just observing what he\u2019s doing, like what I should do if there is a spike in the crowd.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n