For many cabin crew members, stepping off the aircraft is just the beginning of a new journey.<\/em><\/p>\n Introducing Stomp\u2019s new original series, Life After Landing<\/a>, where we spotlight former flight attendants who have traded the skies for unexpected careers<\/a>, pursued personal passions<\/a> or navigated life-changing experiences after leaving the aviation industry.<\/em><\/p>\n Cherry Tan \u2014 better known online as Cherry Kiang<\/a> \u2014 never thought that a waitressing stint in Taiwan would lead her to find love, start a hawker business, and embark on motherhood.<\/p>\n 13 years after they first met, the former Singapore Airlines (SQ) air stewardess and her husband Duncan Hsu are now proud co-founders of Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki, serving Taiwanese-style western food.<\/p>\n The couple is also expecting their first child.<\/p>\n Despite an unlikely journey from ex-SQ stewardess to hawker, the business she started with her Taiwanese husband has expanded in just two years, drawing customers from every corner of the island to their stalls in Woodlands and Bedok.<\/p>\n When Stomp met Tan at her Woodlands stall, the former flight attendant was seven months into her first pregnancy \u2014 and still hard at work. Though she feels \u201cvery blessed\u201d that her team can hold the fort at both outlets, it is evident that the 31-year-old is more than glad to help out with some light work and interact with customers.<\/p>\n Tan helped to dry cutlery and greet customers while Stomp met her at her stall.<\/p>\n STOMP PHOTOS: GLEN LAI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Tan\u2019s videos \u2014 posted on her TikTok<\/a> and Instagram pages<\/a> \u2014 depict the ups and downs of running a hawker business with her husband<\/a> in a humourous manner.<\/p>\n It is easy to overlook that the married couple have come a long way since they met more than a decade ago in Taiwan, when Tan was just 19.<\/p>\n After studying Tourism and Resort Management at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, she was faced with a dilemma: join Singapore Airlines, or embark on a six-month overseas internship.<\/p>\n While being an air stewardess had always been her dream, the prospect of working overseas was tempting too.<\/p>\n \u201cSomehow there\u2019s this calling, this feeling, that I had to go on an overseas internship,\u201d she recounted.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to try living by myself at least once.\u201d<\/p>\n Thus began her stint as a waitress in a hotel restaurant in Taiwan, where Hsu was working as a chef \u2014 and the rest is history.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a long distance (relationship) for about four years after I left Taiwan,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n When asked how the pair managed to maintain their relationship while living more than 3,000 kilometres apart, Tan burst into laughter.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, to be honest, long distance is way easier than having a normal relationship,\u201d she said, chuckling.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I had to do is give (him) a call. You know it\u2019s only for this person, and every time I see him, we\u2019re always happy,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n After her internship in Taiwan ended, Tan went on to join Singapore Airlines and fulfill her dream of becoming an air stewardess.<\/p>\n Though she enjoyed travelling the world and \u201clooking pretty\u201d in the process, she told Stomp that the job is not all glitz and glamour.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople think that cabin crew have a glamorous job. From the outside it looks like that, but (there\u2019s) also all the hard work and sacrifices we make,\u201d she said. Having to stay on her feet for long hours was one of the biggest challenges on the job.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n By then, Hsu had already moved to Singapore for work, closing the long-distance chapter of their relationship. They later got married in 2018.<\/p>\n The couple is now expecting their first child.<\/p>\n PHOTOS: CHERRYKIANGKIANG\/INSTAGRAM, CHERRY TAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n 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<\/a> so she would have more time with her family.<\/p>\n The catalyst for her eventual departure from her cabin crew gig in 2024, however, was her husband\u2019s dream to start his own eatery in Singapore.<\/p>\n \u201cHe really wanted to start his own business and I think it\u2019s very difficult for a foreigner to do everything by himself,\u201d Tan explained. The English language and local administrative processes were two unfamiliar hurdles that Hsu needed to navigate.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I thought, okay lah, I\u2019ll give him a helping hand,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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The four-year long distance romance that started it all<\/h2>\n
Flying is not all glitz and glam<\/h2>\n
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From flying to frying<\/h2>\n
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