S’poreans Show Up To Support Yishun Curry Puff Shop That Got Robbed Last Year

Are Singaporeans cold and unfeeling? Do we only look out for ourselves in a fast-paced, competitive world?

Now, most people, both in and out of the country, would probably think that way.

Then, you have incidents like these that show us as more than a country of people who goes by the book. Literally.

What Happened?

This is Yishun Park Hawker Centre.

And within this hawker centre is a small curry puff stall that has seen booming business for the past few days.

Their customers came from as far as Tiong Bahru, Geylang and Tampines and they sold more than 200 curry puffs a day, 50 to 100 more than their usual sales.

Is it because their curry puffs deserve a Michelin Star? Nope, although I’m sure that their puffs are more than delicious.

It’s because of their story that went viral online.

A Theft Case

On 17 Jul 2018, 2 weeks after Madam Kalsom Kamis and Mr Zaidi Zainal opened up shop at Yishun Park Hawker Centre, they were met with a setback.

The money they were saving up to buy new equipment for the shop was stolen by six youths.

A total of $1,064 was taken from the cash register. And to make things worse, this occurred a day before they bought the equipment.

Equipment Was Meant To Lighten Madam Kamis’ Workload

Every day, Madam Kamis will be at the stall kneading the dough by hand and rolling them into little balls.

The equipment, if bought, means she doesn’t have to wake up that early and prepare the curry puffs three hours before the stall opens.

By her estimation, they’d need to sell around 600 curry puffs to get the stolen amount back.

They raised the price of their curry puffs from $1.20 to $1.50 and managed to make enough to buy the equipment four months later.

Yes, guys, they’ve bought the equipment already.

But That Doesn’t Stop S’poreans From Turning Up

Customers told Today that they decided to visit after reading about the theft, with some expressing sympathy for their situation. One customer even gave them $300.

Madam Kamis and Mr Zaidi are extremely thankful for the support shown to them by fellow Singaporeans.

As for the youths, one of them, Ng Xiang Qing, was sentenced to two years probation, along with 180 hours of community service and a year at Singapore Boys’ Hostel.

So the next time people say Singaporeans aren’t kind? Just show them this article 😉