Planning to go home for good?

For the last 10 years that I have known her, I have always thought that she was happy in her job with the same family. It was not all rosy, she said, with a tinge of regret. Her employers were both good, but lola was something else. Lately she has become more impatient, critical and "naggy". And Gemma, being less in need of her job, is also becoming less patient with lola.

Now that her future prospects have improved since the she left home, when her daughter was still very young, she thinks it is perhaps time to call it a day. But she is still young at 40-something. It is still too early to retire. What will she do in Pangasinan for the next 40 years, assuming she will live as long as her own mother?

With her savings perhaps she could open a Singapore-style eatery in Pangasinan, selling the dishes that her host family and their guests enjoy at one of the lavish parties they throw on festive occasions. She knows so many cuisines - Chinese, Peranakan, Malay, Indian, Thai and even a little of western.

She has observed on her numerous trips home that some eateries serving popular Singapore dishes were always popular. They were run by former domestic helpers in Singapore who had graduated from their "on-the-job training". But, sadly, some of those eateries she used to patronise were not there on later visits. If they closed shops, they were not the first.

So I suggested to Gemma to do her homework thoroughly before she made up her mind. First a survey is a must to see if her dishes would appeal to the local palate. She must also choose a good location. And of course, pricing is also very important. Finally, must make sure that her plan fits her budget.

She can have the most delicious menu, a good location, but if she runs out of capital and is forced to close shop, all her efforts are wasted and like some unsuccessful entrepreneurs before her, she might decide to return to Singapore and start from scratch again.