SINGAPORE — Citing emotional fulfillment, daily validation, and the occasional free half-boiled egg, local man Darren Lim, 34, proudly announced Monday that he’s now in a deeply meaningful relationship with the kopi stall auntie who calls him “shuai ge” every morning at Block 213’s hawker centre.

“My love language is words of affirmation,” said Lim, eyes misty as his partner, Auntie Margaret, 62, shouted “Shuai ge lai liao!” from across the stall while violently slapping kaya toast onto a plate. “She sees me. Not just as a customer, but as a rugged, breakfast-hungry man deserving of admiration. And coffee.”

Lim said their relationship blossomed slowly, beginning with an occasional “ah boy,” escalating to “handsome” on rainy days, and now “shuai ge” with a subtle arm pat on weekends. “She even puts kaya in my toast now. That’s love,” he added, holding up his laminated loyalty card like a promise ring.

Meanwhile, fellow customer Alvin Teo, 29, says he’s also found something special—this time at the mala xiang guo stall just a few units down.

“She remembers my order: xiao la, no coriander, extra luncheon meat. Every time,” Teo gushed. “And that little ‘wink wink’ she does when she taps it into the register? Bruh. That’s practically a proposal.”

Teo says things are getting serious pretty quickly, noting that the stall auntie, Auntie Lili, once told him “Wah, today wear until so nice ah?”—a comment he described as “emotional penetration of the deepest kind.”

Experts say this trend of men finding emotional intimacy in hawker centres is unsurprising, given that these aunties consistently offer what modern dating apps can’t: personalised attention, well-cooked meals, and someone who actually looks you in the eye while calling you good-looking.

At press time, both men were seen seated side-by-side, grinning like schoolboys, while their respective aunties exchanged knowing glances and tossed in extra fishcake.