--- title: "Elderly hawker couple shutter pork trotter jelly stall after 45 years: ‘We are reluctant, but it’s too exhausting’" url: "/trending-now/elderly-hawker-couple-shutter-pork-trotter-jelly-stall-after-45-years-we-are-reluctant-its-too" published: "2026-10-30T11:20:55.000Z" updated: "2026-10-30T11:40:22.000Z" section: "Trending Now" authors: ["Ethel Tseng"] tags: ["hawker","closure","pork trotter jelly","work","heritage","customer","TNP News"] --- # Elderly hawker couple shutter pork trotter jelly stall after 45 years: ‘We are reluctant, but it’s too exhausting’ *An elderly hawker couple who have run a pork trotter jelly stall in Jalan Besar for 45 years will close their business on Oct 31, saying: “We are reluctant, but it’s too exhausting”.* An elderly hawker couple who have run a pork trotter jelly stall in Jalan Besar for 45 years will close their business on Oct 31, saying: “We are reluctant, but it’s too exhausting”. Located at Berseh Food Centre, Lao Liang Pork Trotter Jelly & Shark Meat is run by elderly couple Yu Zhong Rong (transliterated) and Lin Cai Luan (transliterated), both 75. The business has been passed down through three generations. Yu took over the stall when he was 20 and has been running it for 45 years. It was first established at the former site of Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution before moving to Hill Street Food Centre and eventually setting up shop at its current location. The stall sells traditional Teochew dishes, including pork trotter jelly, kway chap, braised dishes, and shark meat. ![pork trotter jelly hawker stall closure berseh food centre](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/5feda508a950dc54cd870eeb75ea2e0bd5b1e85386766606b72d3a1703eeb9b8) Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Lin said long queues have formed each day since news of the stall’s impending closure spread. Although the stall opens at 10am, customers can often be seen waiting around as early as 7am or 8am. “Sometimes, the queue stretches all the way to the entrance of the food centre. We even have to run to the back of the queue to tell customers that we have sold out.” ## Hawker has not travelled overseas for over 40 years On the decision to close, Lin said that she and her husband Yu were reluctant to give up the business, but the physical demands have become overwhelming. The couple would often arrive at the stall at 3am to prepare ingredients, which included processing meat, simmering soup stock, making pork trotter and shark jelly, and preparing their own sauces. The preparation takes about 10 hours, said Lin. “We have always believed in offering good food at affordable prices. We may not make much money, but many of our customers are elderly, and we want them to be able to enjoy traditional flavours at prices they can afford.” Lin said she has not travelled overseas in more than 40 years and hopes to visit Shantou, China, with her children after retiring. Her husband also had little time to rest, apart from a short trip in 2025 when the food centre was undergoing renovation works. “We are grateful to our customers for their support over the years. Many have been eating here since they were dating, and their grandchildren have grown up while they continued patronising us,” she added. ## Customer travels from Choa Chu Kang to support stall When Shin Min visited the stall on Oct 28, at least 15 groups of customers were waiting in line. An 88-year-old customer said she had been patronising the stall since it was located at the former site of Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution. ![pork trotter jelly hawker stall closure berseh food centre](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/dee143cf95ed67f798fae6e2b5e49dc559b0ad86bdb67f40a218efe15b7c4c9c) Although she visited the stall less frequently after it relocated, she made a special trip from Choa Chu Kang after hearing that it was closing. “I arrived at around 10am and there was already a long queue. I waited for almost half an hour, but traditional flavours like these are becoming increasingly rare in Singapore. Once one stall closes, there is one less place to enjoy them,” she said. ## Food guru helping to find successor Local food guru K.F. Seetoh shared a Facebook post about the stall’s impending closure on Oct 27. “Take a good look. Either way you look at it, I don’t think anybody will be selling this, and it’s sad,” he says. Seetoh adds that he had offered to help the couple find a successor for the business. According to Shin Min, about four people have contacted Seetoh regarding the matter. Those interested in taking over the stall can contact Seetoh at seetoh@makansutra.com.