We are often taught to measure work by how long we can endure it. Leaving, especially when something is still standing, is often mistaken for giving up. For the millennial behind Eva’s Pancake, closing her S$1.20 min jiang kueh (peanut pancake) hawker stall on Feb 16 after six years marks a poignant end to one chapter and the beginning of something new. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” Eva Lee told 8days.sg.

Lee first entered the hawker trade in 2020 under the National Environment Agency (NEA)’s incubation stall programme. Previously, the 33-year-old, who has a diploma in accounting from Johor, was an accountant. Under the programme, she underwent an eight-week apprenticeship with min jiang kueh chain Granny’s Pancake before setting up a kiosk in a coffeeshop at Toa Payoh Lorong 4.

When her tenancy at the Toa Payoh coffeeshop came to an end in late 2023, Lee was allocated a unit at Geylang East Market & Food Centre under the NEA programme.

Why close shop after devoting so much time to the business? Lee told 8days.sg that the physical toll has become harder to ignore. She still wakes up around 4am daily. She sets up shop early so she can start selling her pancakes by 6.30am, working through to about 1.30pm or when she sells out. By the time she cleans up, restocks and preps for the next day, it’s already close to 5pm.

Lee pointed out the strain on her right wrist, which has become injured from constantly pouring batter and working the griddle. There is also discomfort in her legs, where long hours of standing have caused varicose veins to surface. “It’s tiring,” she said with a laugh. 

“My back hurts, my wrist hurts. I really respect the older hawkers who can do this for decades. I don’t know how they manage.” She added, hal...