“For $3, they expect two bowls of mee pok… and 1kg of fishball!” exclaims Doubtless Eng, the ‘young hawkerpreneur’ on Mediacorp Channel 5’s news satire TV show, The Noose. Played by Singaporean actor Maxi Lim — most recognized for his breakout role as “Wayang King” in Jack Neo’s Ah Boys to Men series — the hawker stall owner is indignant as he speaks the truth (albeit exaggerated) about the life of a ‘hawkerpreneur’ in Singapore.
He voices out issues such as high labor and overhead costs that seep into food prices, which result in people making complaints — most likely the same people who willingly burn a hole in their pocket to pay for swanky celeb chef meals, but treat a $0.50 price hike at hawker stalls as unacceptable.
“Who wants to come here and actually sweat it out and earn a living?” he asks. Certainly not those who pursue the star-studded life of a YouTube or Instagram celeb, comes the reply. Then there’s the masterful ending jab at, ahem, the influencer lifestyle: “So next time if I take a selfie of myself at the shop… then rent free ah?”
For more LOLs from Lim to spur you on and take your mind off the Monday blues, here he is as the owner of ‘Yan Yan Chicken Rice’ and the ‘Head of Curriculum, Ministry of Schooling’.
