SINGAPORE: When I grow older, I want to be like the 87-year-old grandmother who, though wheelchair-bound, still shops at a wet market like people half her age.
Ms Evelyn, a chef who posts food-related videos on TikTok as @eggcoursemail, recently took viewers along with her Ah Ma to the wet market at Tiong Bahru, where the older woman showed that she’s lost none of her steam.
As she wrote in the caption, “When it comes to shopping, my ah ma does it best! I love trips with her to the market!”
@eggcoursemail When it comes to shopping, my ah ma does it best! I love trips with her to the market! #fyp #foryoupage #grandma #sgtiktok #homecooking
Under the heading “Things my 87-year-old Grandma does at the wet market,” Ms Evelyn first showed her Ah Ma dressing up nicely (and putting on lipstick, we might add!)
Among the things the older woman did was taste the merchandise before committing to buy, express shock at the prices (but bought items anyway), bargained for discounts, smelled everything, rejected the ginger that Ms Evelyn showed her, but chose nice vegetables and fish for her (picking up the fish in her bare hand), and lined up at a meat stall for half an hour.
She even shocked her granddaughter at one point. When they bumped into an old friend from yesteryears, Ah Ma told Ms Evelyn that “I wanted your mum to marry this man in the past.”
The duo also bought chicken rice from a stall at Tiong Bahru Market, which Ms Evelyn described as “gold standard” when she tried it.
“It was so tasty! Ah Ma really knows where to buy good food!” she wrote in her video. “The rice is so flavourful, not overly oily, and the chicken was so tender.”
Grandma and granddaughter ended up going home with a week’s worth of food, Ms Evelyn added.
Her video appeared to resonate deeply with many TikTok users, as it made them remember their own grandmothers.
“I miss those moments with my grandma,” one wrote.
“Great that you cherish this moment that money can’t buy,” added another.
“Grandmas know best!!” chimed in a commenter.
One wrote with some wistfulness, “Wish I was able to record moments like this when I was young, accompanying my grandma to wet markets too!”
Meanwhile, another added, “Ah Ma. Teach us how to pick the best fresh fish, please!”
Ms Evelyn often posts simple and easy-to-follow videos of recipes from her Ah Ma for dishes such as bak kut teh, stir-fried bitter gourd, eggs with scallions, and other delicious food.
@eggcoursemail Ah Ma’s BAK KUT TEH Recipe: Serves 3 Pork ribs x 3 pcs Crushed garlic cloves x 6 no. Black and white peppercorn 2 tsp (in total) Dried scallops x 4 pcs Rock sugar x 3 pcs Bak Kut Teh sachet x 1 pkt Coral lettuce x 3 pcs #grandma #sgtiktok #fyp #foryoupage #bakkutteh
/TISG
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