How Did Ya Hui Fare As A Wanton Mee Hawker?
The reel-life-turned-real-life wanton mee hawker served up noodles and oodles of love to raise money for charity.
Ya Hui is clad in a leather strap denim apron with the Yeo Yeo Huat Kopi & Toast label on it. She’s standing behind a wanton mee stall counter going about her business. A customer orders four plates of wanton mee. “Coming up!” Ya Hui says, then proceeds to expertly toss the egg noodles using a sieve and a giant pair of bamboo chopsticks. The actress is clearly in her element. But no, the location is not the set of popular Ch 8 long-form drama 118, and Ya Hui is not in character as frumpy wanton mee seller Jinzhi at the fictional Yeo Yeo Huat coffeeshop. Instead, she’s at the famous Wong Kee Wanton Noodles stall at Timbre+, serving up plate after plate of piping hot, very springy noodles to… very real customers.
Welcome to the Jin Zhi Wanton Noodles Charity Drive. By the time the first plate of noodles was served at 12.30pm on this sultry-hot Saturday afternoon, a snaking queue had already formed in front of the stall. Ya Hui’s surrounded by swirling smoke and a team of helpers, namely, Wong Kee’s lady boss (who sponsored the food) and staffers. So overwhelming was the turnout that the fund-raiser was extended by an hour, and some patrons waited up to two hours just to get their wanton mee fix. No wonder the 30-year-old actress was feeling #wantonneoflove (the official hashtag for the charity drive). “I’m extremely thankful ’cos I was so overwhelmed by the turnout,” she gushes. “I was pretty worried at first that no one would turn up. But by noon, the whole place was very crowded already. I was elated!”
Turns out there’s a heartwarming story behind the event. “After Season 1 of 118 aired, whenever I went out, aunties and uncles would come up to me and ask, ‘Do you really know how to cook wanton noodles?’ They told me that they really want to eat wanton noodles cooked by me. Then one day, I came up with the idea of cooking noodles for the public while raising funds at the same time.” Logistics meant it took a few years for her dream to materialise, but you know what they say, good things come to those who wait. So how would she fare as a wanton mee seller in real life? “I think not bad leh ’cos my JC teacher and my friends feedbacked to me that my noodles are more Q (Taiwanese for ‘springy’)!” In fact, the actress tells us that she may set up her own noodle stall in the future, selling either ban mian, mee pok, or, you guessed it, wanton mee. Ya Hui, actress, host… hawker? (Scroll through the photo gallery (above) to find out what else went down during the event.)
PHOTOS: THE CELEBRITY AGENCY/WEI LIANG
Mind your Ps and Queue
Hundreds of patrons thronged the Wong Kee Wanton Noodles stall during the charity drive. “I heard that there was an auntie who left after queuing for almost an hour ’cos she was too hungry. Some of my primary school and JC friends also left the queue halfway,” Ya Hui says. “I felt so bad that they queued for so long but didn’t get to eat the noodles.”
Red-y to rumble
Ya Hui with the beneficiaries and volunteers from the Singapore Red Cross. Over three hours, the Red Cross ambassador whipped up 200 odd plates of wanton noodles to raise $3681.10 (yes, every cent counts) for the organisation. The biggest donor, according to Yahui, was Mathilda Koh, the founder and CEO of Bioskin, who gave $500. (FYI, Ya Hui won the Bioskin Flawless Skin Award at the Star Awards 2016.)
Team work
Ya Hui’s supporters turned up in full force to take on crowd control and PR duties.
Now you can use Jin Zhi’s face to chope table
Ya Hui’s fan club, Team Yahui, designed and printed small cards sporting the actress’ mug, slotted them into hundreds of tissue packets sponsored by Happy Tissue, and distributed them at public areas to promote the fund-raiser. Now that’s some serious fan support.
(Photo Credit: Team Yahui)
Friends in high places
Sprinkling the event with a little stardust were Ya Hui's celeb pals, including her BFF Chen Liping, as well as celeb couple Felicia Chin and Jeffrey Xu.
Four’s a party
Ya Hui’s fellow 118 cast mates (and rumoured couple) Hong Ling and Nick Teo, as well as Jeremy Chan, also turned up to show their support…
Do the white thing
…as did Lin Meijiao.
Hao are you?
The event was also graced by elderly beneficiaries from Lion Befrienders and the Helping People Happy People Foundation. Of course, the actress was a hit with the elderly folks, who clamoured to take pics with ‘Qia Qia Hao’ (aka Ya Hui’s nickname in 118).
Hard at work
Ya Hui, who learnt how to cook wanton noodles three years ago when she took on the role of Jin Zhi for 118, had to undergo a one-day WSQ Food Hygiene Course before the event. “Actually, after cooking three bowls, my arms started aching,” she laughs. “’Cos I haven’t cooked in a long time. And I’ve never cooked for that many people at one go. But once I built up momentum, I didn’t feel as tired anymore lah.” (Photo Credit: Happy People Helping People Foundation)
All you need is L-O-V-E
The main ingredient in Ya Hui’s wanton noodles, was of course, good ol’ love. “It was all about cooking with love for the people who came down to support me,” she says. “I wanted them to have the most Q noodles they ever had. When I saw their happy faces eating the noodles that I cooked, I felt a sense of satisfaction that I could finally make this event happen.”
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