38-year-old Omjai Chanta, a former mamasan at a nightclub in Singapore, quit her job as a siam diu “mummy” to chase her dreams of becoming a hawker instead, according to 8world.
Omjai, who hails from Chiang Mai, Thailand, first came to Singapore back in 2009 to join the nightlife industry, and has now opened a stall at a coffeeshop in Ang Mo Kio selling Thai food.
When she first came to Singapore, she worked at a siam diu for 7 years and eventually became a permanent resident here.
She said that working as a mamasan negatively affected her health because she had to drink whatever alcohol that her customers offered her in order to entertain them, regardless if it was whiskey, champagne or beer.
On top of that, she also had to take care of the other girls who were working at the siam diu, and eventually it all culminated in her having high blood pressure.
She started having doubts about being a mamasan and eventually took the chance to quit the industry when the pandemic stopped the nightlife industry in Singapore.
When restrictions were eventually lifted and nightclubs returned to business, Omjai decided against going back to being a mamasan and chose to open a hawker stall instead.
She forked out $15,000 of her savings and opened a stall at a coffee shop in Ang Mo Kio last year, selling a wide variety of Thai dishes.
She revealed that she has no formal cooking training, but her husband and the siam diu girls at her former nightclub liked her food and she felt more confident in her culinary abilities because of their support.
However, she shared that when she was still working as a siam diu mummy, she could earn up to $10,000 per month, but now as a hawker, there are days where she makes only $100 to $200, and she has harboured the thought of quitting before, but the support from her husband and former colleagues helped her carry on.
Address
Kim Sen Thai Noodle is open from 12 pm to 3 pm and 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm from Tuesday to Sunday (they are closed on Mondays).
They are located at Block 181 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, #01-2922, Singapore 560181