The Singaporean who gets mistaken for a foreigner while running his family's Fuzhou oyster cake stall
He once envisioned himself travelling the world as an esports emcee. Now, Mr Deitrich Mohan is embracing his roots and tells CNA TODAY that he hopes to take his family hawker business at Maxwell Food Centre to its 100th year.
Mr Deitrich Mohan, a 43-year-old hawker at Maxwell Food Centre in Singapore, often stands out to patrons as he gets mistaken for a foreigner despite being of mixed Singaporean-Chinese-Indian heritage. Working the Fuzhou Oyster Cake stall, Mohan learned to handle such queries in fluent Mandarin, replying to comments with a simple, "Come, how many do you want?"
The stall, which has been in Mohan's family since 1962 and is now recognized by the Michelin Guide, offers a unique round, crisp fritter filled with minced pork, oysters, prawns, and coriander.
Mohan's maternal grandmother launched the hawker business on Tras Street in Tanjong Pagar in 1962, before it relocated to the current Maxwell Food Centre in 1986. His mother took the early morning shift while Mohan began working late in the morning and worked until the stall closed at 8pm. Despite the similarity in appearance between Mohan and his mother, most patrons only focus on the food, not his identity.
Mohan himself grew up feeling out of place, having experienced bullying and difficulty connecting with both his Chinese and Indian peers in school. The family's mixed-race heritage and unique cultural background have contributed to the unique identity of the Fuzhou Oyster Cake stall.
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