{
  "id": 13611874,
  "title": "At 25, he chose the life of a hawker",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/at-25-he-chose-the-life-of-a-hawker-13611874",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-11T01:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/10/11/at-25-he-chose-the-life-of-a-hawker"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At 5am, when the neighbourhood of Taman Sri Manja is still asleep, Koong Poh Kang is already ready to begin his day. As a wantan mee seller, he prepares his charcoal, char siew and stall for the customers who will soon arrive. The roasting process alone takes around an hour and a half, but prior to that, the char siew must be marinated the night before to enhance its flavor. By 7am, Koong, who is 25 years old, is ready to serve his delicious wantan mee at Restoran Fai Wong, a business he took over at the age of 23. Koong finds joy in his work, despite the sacrifices he has made, such as giving up late nights with friends. He has fond memories of his mother running a bak kut teh business in the same kopitiam, and he wishes to help her retire peacefully. Koong's love for wantan mee stems from his childhood, as his parents would take him to a stall in Old Klang Road. After initially being laughed at for wanting to be a hawker, Koong spent six months learning the trade from the previous owner before taking over the business. Today, he feels that his workday allows him more time for himself, as he can go to the gym after selling his wantan mee until 3pm.",
  "summary": "Koong Poh Kang left the corporate IT world to open a stall called Kang Kee Wan Tan Mee.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "At 25, he chose the life of a hawker",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/at-25-he-chose-the-life-of-a-hawker",
        "published": "2026-10-11T01:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}