School work: The canteen operator who continues a legacy by cooking, and treats students like her own

SINGAPORE: Her love for cooking began decades ago.

There, under the watchful eye of her late mother, Madam Nor Aini Alwi chopped vegetables, fried spices and cooked meals.

“I started as early as nine years old, and the first thing I cooked was sambal goreng, which was quite tedious,” she told CNA. “That was followed by the rendang and the lontong gravy.”

When it came to cooking, her mother was not easy to please, said Mdm Aini. In fact, she could be “quite fierce”.

“I would cook every day for my family. I had to prepare lunch for my father before he went to work, and then for my siblings,” the 68-year-old added.

When it came to Hari Raya, there would be little sleep.

“I was asked to (help to) cook the whole thing until the next morning and I ended up sleeping after that,” she recalled with a laugh.

Decades later, this passion remains, as do many of the recipes. 

Rather than cooking solely for her family, Mdm Aini, who has been a school canteen operator for more than two decades, feeds hundreds of people daily.

She started off as a receptionist at a car company selling Ferraris and Lamborghinis. But when her boss decided to migrate, Mdm Aini decided to leave as well. After spending some time feeling “bored” at home, she came across a canteen operator vacancy at Monk’s Hill Secondary School. 

“I needed to find something which is meaningful. And since I like cooking (and) I like to see people happy to eat my food, why not try a canteen stall?” 

Two decades, three school mergers and countless batches of students later, she has become a fixture at the school.

“The joy of this job is when I see the students and teachers eating my food with a great smile, that makes my day.” 

"EVERYTHING IS IN MY MIND"

Mdm Aini’s day begins before some head to bed.

She typically wakes up at 3am, making sure that the ingredients for the day are prepared and ready. Leaving her home in Yishun about an hour later, she reaches Beatty Secondary School at 4.15am.

With the help of her cousin, who usually arrives later in the morning, the next two hours are spent getting ready.

That way, when the first customers arrive at 6.30am, most of the dishes at the nasi padang stall “Mamak Mia” are ready.

“I have to relax, have a free mind and know the menu of the day,” said Mdm Aini. “It has become my normal routine that I know what to cook, what day to cook, what dish to cook every single day. So everything is in my mind.”

There are special offerings on most days – chicken rice on Mondays, roti jala on Tuesdays, lontong on Wednesdays and nasi biryani on Thursdays.

Many look forward to Thursdays – Mdm Aini’s nasi biryani has a loyal following. Some teachers place their orders in advance, while others text Mdm Aini their orders.

“What they like is my nasi biryani, my beef rendang and my sambal goreng,” she said.

“When they come in the morning they ask: ‘Can you reserve this for me?’ Some will text me the night before: ‘Tomorrow, nasi biryani for 4 pax.’”

Mdm Aini tries to help students in any way she can – whether it be by being generous with her portions or even handing out free food.

“I can sense if a student has enough money or not … They just wander around but they don't want to eat,” she said. 

“What is most important for me is making sure these children have enough food to eat and fill their stomachs. That makes them study well, because if they go (to class) with hungry stomachs, they can’t study.”

She also aims to keep her food affordable for students. For one, she has not increased prices despite inflation.

“For me, the price must be affordable. As you know, some students are not well off,” she said. 

“From day one, when I started this business, I always told myself I do this for the children … When they want to eat, I make sure they have enough, and those who don't have enough, I help them.”

Her husband Mr Junaidi Ahmad added: “Her (thinking) is that if that student is our child in another school, how would you feel that your child has no makan (food)?”

At the same time, Mdm Aini doesn’t see her job as just providing food.

She recalled how in her early days at Monk’s Hill Secondary School, she would reprimand students for using vulgar language.

“When I started in Monk’s Hill, I was very fierce with students. I will tell them: ‘Never, ever use these words. One more time you use these words, out you go,’” she recalled.

“Until you change yourself and don't use vulgar words, I’ll let you eat. If not, go behind (in the queue) ... When they come to my store, they make sure they don’t use any vulgar words."

AN INVALUABLE HELP

Mdm Aini said she is only able to do what she does with her husband's help. The couple have been married for close to 40 years now.

When he was working, Mr Junaidi would send her to school daily before heading to his workplace at Paya Lebar. This meant that he would be at work about two hours before he had to.

“As a husband, if you don't give your moral support, if anything breaks down, you cannot blame her, you blame yourself because … this is your wife. It is not your neighbour, it is not your friend. If you don't support her, who else will support her?” he said.

And Mdm Aini is appreciative.

“He always gives me support in whatever I do, always (tells me to) think positive and focus on what I am doing,” she said.

Now that he has retired, Mr Junaidi still fetches his wife to and from school daily. He also continues to join her on grocery runs on the weekends.

“I advised her not to pressure herself. Take her time, if she thinks that she cannot, she can let me know we can call it off. But she said she can,” he said.

“She loves cooking, she loves serving people and making the students happy.”

Another invaluable help for Mdm Aini is her cousin, who has been her assistant for more than a decade. 

“It is important (to have her around) because it lightens my burden a bit. Lessens my tiredness because at least there is someone to take over and I can sit down for a while," said Mdm Aini.

Students also have particular likes and dislikes. Mdm Aini recalled how they rejected brown rice when she started serving it.

To adapt, she decided to use crystal brown rice, which looks similar to regular white rice.

“I don’t like people wasting food. So we got this substitute … Even if it is a bit expensive, I don't mind, as long as the students love it.”

"A JOY THAT YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE"

After being in this job for 21 years, Mdm Aini fondly remembers how some students make an effort to keep in touch.

“I feel very happy and very honoured and also appreciate them for calling me. At least they remember me … they say 'I will always miss your food',” she recalled.

But her contributions are appreciated and recognised, not just by students but by staff. 

“She's a warm, friendly lady who pays quite a lot of attention to nourishment, to making sure that kids have a good meal, that they are able to afford that meal. She does it with a joy that you can clearly see on her face. And I think that rubs off and gets transferred to anyone else who's around her, be it students or teachers,” said school principal Harman Johll. 

“The passion for the job is very, very clear. It's quite inspiring because she's done it for so long. It's amazing that she continues to have the energy to keep going.”

In her own way, Mdm Aini continues her mother’s legacy of serving good food.

“If she (my mum) saw what I am doing now, she would be very happy,” said Mdm Aini. “Whatever she taught us … I took it and I can do it.”

And while the job is one that can get tiring, Mdm Aini is determined to continue for as long as she can.

“When I think of the students, I always think of my children. Do they have enough food? That makes me want to continue,” she said.

“Until the school says they don't need me, then too bad. But as long as I can go (on), I will go (on).”

Read this story in Bahasa Melayu here.