From comedy to culinary tours, 6 things to remember about late ...

SINGAPORE – “This reminds me of a story. Long before your time, in the southern province of China…”

This famed catchphrase, spouted by fan-favourite father figure Tan Ah Teck from local English-language TV sitcom Under One Roof (1995 to 2003), dominated Channel 5 for eight years, over seven seasons.

The award-winning series saw Tan – immortalised by Singaporean actor Moses Lim – regaling his three adult children (played by Andrew Lim, Nicholas Lee and Vernetta Lopez) with morality tales from a bygone era. Just like the roly-poly patriarch, the late veteran entertainer was also a master storyteller, be it through skits, variety shows, books or food.

Here are six things about the beloved funnyman, who died on Feb 11 at the age of 75.

1. Early love for the stage and spotlight

Lim’s interest in show business was piqued at a young age. At eight, he learnt the art of xiangsheng, or crosstalk, from a priest at his primary school. It was then that he discovered he enjoyed making people laugh. 

The elder son of a businessman and housewife – Lim had one brother and two sisters – he loved being on stage and won elocution contests in both English and Mandarin.

His first television appearance was in the 1970s doing crosstalk. He also took on freelance entertainment jobs while working in the automotive spare parts import-export firm his father co-owned. Lim later started his own spare parts trading company.

2. One-half of a dynamic duo

Lim hit the jackpot with Singaporean film-maker Jack Neo in the 1990s. Neo, then also an aspiring actor, met Lim on a variety show and suggested they work together. Finding success as hosts at corporate gigs, Lim and Neo applied to Channel 8 when the Chinese-language channel was looking for hosts for its new variety show. 

Comedy Nite (1990 to 2000) was a huge hit, and Singaporeans were treated to the dynamic duo’s slapstick humour that saw Lim creating his Peranakan bibik persona Ah Jiao.

Lim, who left the comedy sketch show in 1994 to join Under One Roof, reunited with Neo when Comedy Nite was revived in 2003 and ran for a year.

3. Singapore’s first bilingual TV comedian

The success of Under One Roof earned Lim the reputation as the first actor to bridge the divide between Singapore’s Chinese- and English-language channels.

Lim told The Straits Times in a 2014 interview that he was recognised outside the country, as Under One Roof was televised in Australia, Canada, Malaysia and Taiwan. He was proud that the sitcom’s success showed it was possible to make a Hollywood-saturated audience tune in to a home-grown work.

4. About that ‘This reminds me of a story...’

Lim told ST in 2014 that his trademark monologues from Under One Roof required him to recite a long tale without stumbling.

According to him, there was “a lot of dialogue with no stops”. The episodes were also filmed in front of a live studio audience, so when he messed up his lines, they would need to reshoot the whole scene. 

Lim said he made it through the takes thanks to “mo xie” during his school days, which required him to memorise Chinese poems and essays. Those tests “trained his mind”, and he applied the same technique to remember the longer Under One Roof monologues: First, digesting the meaning and intent of the lines, followed by repetition drills.

5. The OG food influencer 

Before there were food bloggers and social media influencers, Lim was a forerunner in Singapore’s food critic scene. 

He indulged in his other passion – food – and led culinary travel tours in 1993. 

His second career saw him taking hundreds of foodies across Asia, Europe and North America four times a year, at its peak. 

As a champion of hawker food and Singapore Tourism Board ambassador, he had a key role in introducing hawker culture locally and internationally via the Hawker Fest Singapore Food Festival, which ran from 2016 to 2018. 

Lim was also the appointed food and travel ambassador of tourism boards in countries such as Australia, China, South Korea and Malaysia.

According to Lim’s official website moseslim.com, he authored a series of books on food and culture: Moses Lim’s Gourmet Notebook 1, 2 and 3, and Moses Lim’s Thoughts On Food.

Lim also shared his gourmet adventures in columns in Chinese newspapers Lianhe Wanbao and Shin Min Daily News, as well as Chinese magazine I-Weekly. 

His status as a gourmet celebrity also saw him serving as a food consultant to various restaurants. In 2022, he helped curate a menu with four veteran Hong Kong chefs for Goodwood Park Hotel’s Min Jiang restaurant that showcased Hong Kong-style Cantonese classics.

6. Hidden talent for songwriting

According to Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (Compass), Lim was a lyricist and had a “secret album”.

“The loss of yet another Singaporean icon resonates deep with us,” the music association wrote in a tribute post on Facebook on Feb 12. 

“Not only was Moses Lim a memorable actor, comedian and culinary legend, few knew of his secret music album and role as a lyricist on a couple of songs within. Truly a man of many hats and his legacy will continue to inspire. May he rest in flavour and harmony.”

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