Walter Tay isn’t your everyday hawker. Not only was he once a Singapore Airlines cabin crew, but he did MLM for a living, followed by importing Korean cosmetics and even organising fitness competitions.
However, all of his endeavours ended up in failure after a while. One career path that he didn’t consider was to be a hawker.
Source: melissa chan
But after his parents — who are hawkers — persuaded him to come to help out at their store, he decided to give it a shot. And that’s how he found his passion in life.
Many wonder how someone with good looks, high income, and beautiful cars ended up selling char koay teow and carrot cake, and for Walter, he didn’t expect it either.
Source: melissa chan
It was tough when just started cooking; he used to have FOMO when he saw his friends post selfies online of their time travelling abroad or tearing up the exclusive clubs in town.
Having his friends look down on him and tell him he had no future didn’t help either.
But eventually, he learnt to overcome these feelings. He learned that success is a personal thing and that you can be successful climbing the corporate ladder or be successful as a hawker. What’s important is that you’re not doing it to impress people, because that makes it meaningless.
Source: instagram
This mindset made him embrace his love for being a hawker. And it certainly paid off. Now, he has legions of fans who visit his store every day and ask him for selfies. This even led to one of his customers being forbidden by her boyfriend to even visit his store!
Walter told Asia One that he would be starring in a dating show soon, and when asked about his ideal partner, he said,
“If you have a happy expression then most of the time they will look good… She can show me her bareface, and go down stairs to have carrot cake with me. Girls who makeup for more than 30 minutes a day, wah cannot, I cannot tahan.”
Who doesn’t want carrot cake and chill, eh?
It’s incredible to see the younger generation let go of societal expectations and pursue their dreams. If you’re ever in Singapore, why not give Walter’s carrot cake a try? Just make sure not to get banned by your partner in the process.
Also read: Teacher Gets Backlash For Implying Hawkers Are Poor in Student’s Exam Answer
