Sim Kee Duck Rice owner drops pot of hot soup, scalds foot, stall closes for a month

After one of the owners of Sim Kee Duck Rice accidentally dropped a pot of hot soup while moving it and scalded his foot, resulting in the temporary closure of the popular hawker stall at Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market.

The hawker, fondly referred to as Uncle Peng, 63, runs the stall with his siblings.

They took over the business from their father, who started the stall in 1980, according to Shin Min Daily News.

Pain in arm

On Sep. 12, Uncle Peng was moving a pot of hot soup when he turned and suddenly felt a pain in his arm.

The next moment, the pot fell onto the ground.

The hot contents in the pot scalded the top of his foot and the back of his hand, Shin Min reported.

He was diagnosed at the hospital with second-degree burns on his foot, and less serious injuries on his hand.

As Uncle Peng is in charge of cooking and other major responsibilities at the stall, Sim Kee Duck Rice had to close for about a month as he recovered.

He told Shin Min on Sep. 27 that the family will likely need to keep the stall closed for a further 10 days before they can resume business.

The injury

Based on photos of the injury seen by Shin Min, Uncle Peng's injured foot had developed a large blister.

After the blister was treated, the top of his foot became red and swollen, and had to be bandaged.

Uncle Peng told Shin Min that during the first few days after the injury, he would wake up in the morning with an unbearable pain.

He also needed to use crutches and stay at home, in case he might further injure his foot if he went out.

In terms of the financial loss of temporarily closing the stall, Uncle Peng said the operating costs were manageable, as the rent was not high and the family does not hire employees.

However, he shared that his mother required regular kidney dialysis, which places a heavy burden on the family.

The stall's revenue — typically around S$1,000 a day — has been enough to cover the family's daily expenses, so they have not been facing financial pressures for now.

He told Shin Min on Sep. 27 that his injuries are 80 per cent healed.

Although he has still been limping, he no longer needed crutches.

Visited by MP

On Sep. 13, Tan Kiat How, MP for East Coast GRC, visited Uncle Peng to check on his recovery.

Although it was just a day after the accident, Tan wrote on Facebook that Uncle Peng was recovering well and in good spirits.

Tan commended hawkers like Uncle Peng for their hard work that "often goes unseen", and reminded everyone to appreciate them.

Top images from Google Maps and Shin Min