STINKY tofu is very much like Manchester United to football fans – connoisseurs of the so-called national snack of Taiwan would salivate at the sight of the savoury fermented tofu, unperturbed by its highly unpleasant, pungent smell, especially when it is deep fried (imagine the smell of dirty wet socks or strong blue cheese).
On the contrary, haters of the chou dou fu (臭豆腐) are often taken aback by its strong odour as its name suggests and would at best keep a reasonable distance away from the nauseating street food.
Welcome to Desa Setapak where an old uncle would pull over on his food stall motorbike after 10pm. According to food reviewer manaweblife, he will then take his own pace to set up his stall single-handedly, oblivious to the queue which has started to form as early as 9pm along Jalan 1/27B.
According to Sin Chew Daily (English version), the humble uncle who operates the business all alone said he would continue to operate until the last patron gets his food.
That he is open for business at such ungodly hour is understandable for he would not want the stinky tofu odour to affect nearby businesses which operate during the daytime. Moreover, stinky tofu is regarded as a light snack and can hence be regarded as supper.
“On an average he serves around 150 to 200 customers a night. Some come to experience (for themselves), some are regulars, knowing all about the health benefits of this stinky dish that has been said to reduce cholesterol and osteoporosis,” shared manaweblife.
The old uncle, according to Sin Chew Daily, used to sell until 2am in the past but his operating hours are getting stretched till 5am in recent times as the queue gets longer and longer.
“At times, the anonymous uncle who has been selling stinky tofu for the past 16 years ends the day’s business as late as 5am to make sure his last patron is served,” revealed the news portal.
“The owner of a herbal tea stall next to his said the uncle has been selling until 5am lately as some patrons still line up at 4am to buy his stinky tofu so much so that someone actually posted it on social media, prompting more people to queue late at night.”
The herbal stall operator said he normally calls it a day the same time as the uncle. That the old uncle’s stall is located next to the Wangsa Maju LRT station has proven strategic as there are many university students staying in Desa Setapak which is in close proximity to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and the Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management & Technology.
A university student identified as Hu told Sin Chew Daily that she used to queue up for one to two hours to buy the old uncle’s stinky tofu. She said even if she were to arrive at 2am, there would still be patrons waiting in the line.
For a businessman, the old uncle’s stinky tofu is said to be the best in the Klang Valley and hence he would not mind waiting for two to three hours in the queue to savour the delicacy which has its origin in China during the Qing Dynasty. – May 15, 2023
Pics credit: Sin Chew Daily & Manaweblife
