Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

You know it is Chinese New Year season in Singapore when the festive new year music blasts non-stop and long queues form outside bak kwa shops.

The mouthwatering sliced meat treat has always attracted people to wait patiently in line just to buy some for personal consumption and to give away as prized gifts for family and friends that signal the buyer went through the effort to procure some.

Queue for bak kwa

One TikTok user, @wolfharring, noticed a long queue forming up in Chinatown.

They shared a video of the queue and tagged it with North Bridge Road.

@wolfharring #newbridgeroad ♬ original sound - wolfharring

The caption read, "People queue for hours just to buy $72 per kg of bak kua, do you think it's stupid."

The user also shared a number of other videos of queues, commenting on social distancing.

Prices for bak kwa during off-peak season can be 40 to 50 per cent cheaper.

Which outlet?

If the tagged location is anything to go by, the queue would most likely be leading to the Lim Chee Guan outlet at New Bridge Road, near Chinatown MRT Exit A.

Lim Chee Guan offers "signature sliced pork" at 500g for S$36, which comes to S$72 per kg.

Long queues at Lim Chee Guan outlets are something of a Singapore tradition, albeit with safeguards since the start of the pandemic.

In 2021, orders moved to online only, before the store offered limited walk-in purchases due to overwhelming demand.

If you're thinking of queuing up to get your 2022 supply of bak kwa, do remember to observe safe management guidelines.

Related story:

Top image from @wolfharring TikTok and Lim Chee Guan Facebook page.

Follow and listen to our podcast here