For most people, birthdays are a time for receiving gifts. But for one man in Singapore, it’s the exact opposite. Uncle Jimmy, the ice cream seller, gives out free treats each year on his birthday.
Every weekday, the 72-year-old drives his motorcycle to the same spot he’s been working at for the past 15 years, sets up his stall and waits for customers. But 22 March-his birthday-is a little different. On that day a long queue of customers hope to get the free ice cream he gives out.
This year, he ran out within hours. “By 5 pm everything was sold out,” Jimmy Teng said. “Some people came after that and there was no more available so I told them to come back the next day, I’ll give it to them then.”
It all started on his 70th birthday when Mr Teng decided to give out 700 free ice creams to mark the occasion. “Everyone in Singapore is so stressed. I thought to myself, life is short. Now that I have the chance, I might as well give ice cream to people to make them happy,” Mr Teng said.
The free ice cream was quickly sold out and by the end of the day, Mr Teng had given away close to 900 treats. He decided to make free ice cream a birthday tradition, and to increase the limit to 1,000 ice creams to meet the demand.
While each ice cream only costs $1 Singapore dollar, what he has spent adds up to quite a large sum. When asked if he was making a loss by giving away free ice cream, he said, “I don”t think of it that way. As long as people are happy, that’s OK.”
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