Authentic atmosphere
The owners don’t know exactly why the store is such a popular film set. “Maybe it has to do with the authentic atmosphere,” says Ramon. “Time stands still here.”
Kai Hing opened his store in 1975, making it the oldest in the Bijlmer. The Chinese and Surinamese dishes prepared in the kitchen reflect his own history: a young man who went from China to Suriname via Hong Kong, and later came to the Netherlands in the 1970s. “I immediately loved the Bijlmer, it reminded me of Suriname.”
Grandma from the neighborhood
He is affectionately called Omoe by local residents, which means ‘uncle’ in Surinamese. In old photos, where Kai Hing holds a classic wired telephone in his hands, he has the same wide smile that he still wears today. Many customers from that time still come here to do their weekly shopping.
“I’ve been coming here since before Christ,” says a man in a black coat, laughing. “But you can always go to him if you are short of money. “Take it with you, you can pay next time,” he says.”
“I’ve been coming here all my life,” says a woman wearing a gray headband. “He’s a granny from the neighborhood, a granny from the city. He always gives you good advice when you need it.”