SOULFUL SOUP MAKER

hawker3 https://www.defencepioneer.sg/images/default-source/_migrated_english/hawker3.jpg?sfvrsn=97924b67_2 https://www.defencepioneer.sg/pioneer-articles/SOULFUL-SOUP-MAKER
https://www.defencepioneer.sg/pioneer-articles/SOULFUL-SOUP-MAKER
SOULFUL SOUP MAKER
27 Jan 2014 | PEOPLE

SOULFUL SOUP MAKER

STORY // Koh Eng Beng
PHOTO // Chai Sian Liang & Courtesy of CPL (NS) Wu

Corporal (CPL) (NS) Wu Guo Hong gives up a job that sends him all over the world to rub shoulders with top government officials, all to pursue a passion for soup.

Suits. Planes. Meetings. Those were the things that filled his days back when CPL (NS) Wu was an international relations associate at the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

That was his first job after graduating from Nanyang Technological University with an economics degree in 2011. But since April last year, CPL (NS) Wu has been toiling in his hawker stall in CFC 1080 canteen at Lower Delta Road. For more than nine hours a day, he makes bowl after bowl of double-boiled soups and braised meat.

His decision to become a hawker stemmed from two reasons: to pursue his passion in cooking and to keep his family recipes alive.

"I have always been interested in cooking and I've enjoyed my parents' cooking since young. I felt that if I didn't get to learn and pass down their recipes, it would be a waste," said the 27-year-old.

Own best ideas

His mother runs a hawker stall in Boon Lay selling economical rice and pork ribs soups, while his father, a retired hawker, helps out at the stall occasionally. CPL (NS) Wu had initially wanted to take over his mum's stall when she retires, but decided not to take the easy route.

"Like many young people of my generation, I have my own ideas. I want to strike out on my own and create something that I can call my own," he explained.

His mother, however, was against him becoming a hawker at first. Said CPL (NS) Wu: "My mum has been a hawker for 40 years, she's been there and done it all, and knows all the hardships of operating a hawker business. She felt that since I had studied a lot, I should be doing a white-collar, 9-to-5 job that is more stable and less strenuous."

But CPL (NS) Wu knew what he was getting himself into. "I started helping my mum since I was eight years old, so I've grown to enjoy it a lot." Like an apprentice, he started from the bottom and experienced all the hardships of being a hawker - clearing the dishes, collecting payment and taking orders - before he progressed to cooking.

Bestselling business

Unlike his mother who sells a variety of dishes, CPL (NS) Wu sells only two - double-boiled soups and braised meat.

Explaining his business concept, he said: "I took the bestsellers from my mum s stall and repackaged and rebranded them into a set lunch concept. Customers usually ask for these dishes at my mum's stall, so I wanted to ensure that people will continue to be able to enjoy them."

When asked if he was worried about the competition - double-boiled soups are sold in many hawker centres and coffee shops in Singapore - he said: "The soup recipes have been refined over decades by my parents, and the braised meat is based on a secret recipe created by my family. I am quite sure you will not be able to find anything similar elsewhere."

Learning from the best

While his business has been profitable, CPL (NS) Wu, who sank $10,000 of his savings into his hawker venture, now earns less than half of his previous salary. Like many budding entrepreneurs out there, he too faces the fear of failure.

However, he said: "Not every business will be successful, but if we are always held back by this fear, then we will never go and try. Why not give it a shot while I am still young?"

On his NS experience, CPL (NS) Wu, who served as the administrative assistant for the Head of Intelligence at Headquarters Armour, said he had learnt much from observing his senior officers lead their men in running large-scale exercises.

"NS showed me glimpses of what it would be like to work in the real world, and the exposure taught me how to work with and manage people. It was useful during my days in MOF, and I believe it will come in handy when I expand my business in the future."

His ultimate dream is to grow his stall Tian Tian Xiang (named after his mum's stall) into a famous chain, just like the Astons Western food chain.

"When you mention Astons, you think of Western food, I hope that eventually my business will grow in such a way that when you mention Tian Tian Xiang, people will think of soups and braised meat," he said.




Suggested Reading
Feature
SAF lingo – 2025 version
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

We lied. There is no 2025 version, there is just ONE version. The same one that your father used when he served in the SAF.

Feature
Down the line
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

It was built to train soldiers in tower and helicopter rappelling insertions as well as fast roping. Join us as we check out the Rappelling Training Facility!

Cover story
FIRST ENLISTEES OF 2025
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

Welcome to BMT: Join the new year’s first batch of enlistees as they begin their NS journey at Pulau Tekong!

Cover story
UNOFFICIAL LIST: WHAT TO PACK FOR ENLISTMENT
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

We all know the essentials to pack for BMT – NRIC, basic toiletries and extra underwear. But what other items help ease you into your confinement period? We’ve compiled an unofficial list here.

CREATING BONDS THROUGH MILITARY MEMORABILIA
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

Some collectors collect stamps, others, stickers. But ME2 (NS) Lim Geng Qi boasts a unique military memorabilia collection of over 1,200 items!

Lawyer by day, military artist by night
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

Photograph or painting? At this year’s Military Hobby Fest, we met 1SG (NS) Samuel Ling Ying Hong, a self-taught aviation oil painter who spends up to 50 hours on each realistic artwork.

Cover story
AIRBORNE!
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

Marking 10 years this December: The Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF’s) one-of-a-kind training facility prepares trainees to become competent and confident airborne troopers.

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

The fourth child in Singapore’s first set of quintuplets, LTA Annabelle Chin Li En made a mid-career switch to follow in her parents’ footsteps and serve the country.

Flying High with Defence Innovation
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

A hybrid UAV with enhanced flight capabilities and software systems that analyse data from the Internet to detect online terrorism threats – these were some of the projects featured at this year’s Defence Technology Prize award ceremony. 

Cover story
NAVY RETIRES LAST OF ITS CHALLENGER-CLASS SUBMARINES
PEOPLE
27 Jan 2014

RSS Conqueror and RSS Chieftain were decommissioned today at Changi Naval Base, closing the chapter on more than two decades of service of Singapore’s first submarines.