Whampoa hawker gives away best part of roast duck dinner to elderly cleaner, just because

A beautiful act of kindness.

Joshua Lee | January 07, 2019, 06:40 PM

Here's an encounter that will warm your heart.

Facebook user Daniel Koh shared about his encounter at Whampoa Hawker Centre, where an oyster omelette hawker gave part of his dinner to a cleaner.

Mr Oyster at his stall. Image via Daniel Koh.

Koh was having his dinner on Jan. 4 when he noticed the oyster omelette hawker (whom he calls Mr Oyster) getting ready his stall, Whampoa Traditional Fried Oyster, for the dinner crowd. At that moment, an elderly cleaner stopped his trolley in front of Mr Oyster's stall.

Mr Oyster then signalled to the cleaner to help himself to a box of roast duck on the table in front of the stall. Koh said that the box of roast duck was Mr Oyster's dinner. The elderly cleaner picked out three drumsticks from the box.

When he looked back at Mr Oyster, presumably to confirm if he did not mind parting with three drumsticks, Mr Oyster gave what Koh called a "disarming smile and...a gentle wave" to assure the old man that it was OK.

Koh later looked into the box and found that Mr Oyster had some roast meat left over, but there were no more drumsticks; he had given all his drumsticks to the cleaner. However, that did not bother Mr Oyster. Instead he just continued eating his dinner quietly.

Mr Oyster's stall. Image via Daniel Koh.

"When we open our eyes, we can still see acts of kindness from unexpected places." Koh wrote, "That's when we are reminded of the presence of grace and generosity."

Koh added that Mr Oyster does not know him, nor was Koh asked to do a write-up for the stall. However he wanted to share this encounter because it moved him:

"I share because I appreciate acts of kindness, especially so when it is offered by an ordinary person, to an old person who is doing a job not many people would want to do," he wrote. 

You can read his full post below:

All images via Daniel Koh.