Among these are crowd-favourites – Guan Kee Char Kway Teow atGhim Moh Food Centre and Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee at ABC Food Centre.
Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre, a famous hawker centre erected in the 1980s was estimated to retain only 20 per cent of its original cooked food hawkers by 2016, according to the National Heritage Board (NHB). Some moved elsewhere, others have simply left the trade.
It seems despite our nation’s well-known devotion to local hawker food, Singaporeans rarely give the people who toil to make it due recognition.
Hawking has never made it on any list of the most popular professions among young Singaporeans.
READ:Commentary: UNESCO listing may lift hawker culture but saving it is a different challenge
Indeed, while there is a certain “cool” factor to being a struggling artist, designer or any other artisan, hawking has rarely been perceived as much more than a blue-collar job.
This UNESCO nomination may finally place it among other respectable crafts and traditions such as watchmaking craftsmanship in Switzerland and France, and Yeondeunghoe lantern lighting festival in South Korea, also recommended for the UNESCO list.
This may go some way towards lifting negative social perceptions.
THE PROBLEM WITH ‘CHEAP AND GOOD’
All that however will be little more than lip service if we continue to undervalue hawker food in other ways.
The fact is, “cheap and good” has become an integral part of the DNA of hawker food. We even pride ourselves on having the world’s cheapest Michelin meal – S$2.80 chicken rice at Liao Fan Hawker Chan.
READ:Commentary: We are becoming a 'dabao nation' – why does it feel like a bad thing?
While many point to the handful of exceptionally successful and wealthy hawkers, the average hawker makes S$2,500 to S$3,000 monthly for ten hours of backbreaking work, seven days a week, according to a local finance and money blog. It is not hard to see why this arrangement may not be appealing to younger and more educated Singaporeans.
Moreover, while we cannot reasonably expect prices of bak chor mee to rise to ramen levels – after all, part of the cultural significance of hawker food stems from its affordability and relevance for the vast majority of Singaporeans – we also cannot in good conscience profess undying love and claim national pride for something if we constantly complain about 50 cents price hikes.
READ:Commentary: Why are we willing to pay S$20 for a bowl of ramen but not bak chor mee?
With the UNESCO nomination, the Government could also do more to safeguard hawker culture by keeping rental costs affordable.
After all, to preserve hawker culture, it is necessary to go beyond symbolism, and make it economically viable for the new generation of young hawkers.
THE FUTURE OF HAWKERS
The continuity of young hawkers is vital for hawker culture to remain a living heritage instead of a fading trade.
To break down barriers of entry, NEA and SkillsFuture Singapore launched a Hawkers’ Development Programme in January. This includes a two-month apprenticeship to experienced hawkers, as well as a 40 per cent average rental rebate for 15 months so that new hawkers may test the feasibility of their ideas.
A wave of hipster hawkers has been sprouting up in Singapore recently.
For instance, 3rd Culture Brewing Co., founded by former lawyer, serves 10 to 12 rotating beers on tap at Maxwell Food Centre and Old Airport Road Food Centre.
A Noodle Story has won accolades, including a Michelin Bib Gourmand, but its signature bowl with quality ingredients costs many more times that of typical hawker fare.
READ:Commentary: Is the Michelin Bib Gourmand overrated?
READ:Commentary: Protecting our hawker culture requires us to give hawkers more autonomy
The relatively new Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre also offers modern, hipster cuisine on its second floor.
Heritage stalls too are evolving to survive. Successful hawker stalls such as Liao Fan Hawker Chan, ENG’s Wantan Noodles and No Signboard Seafood have commercialised and expanded to many branches.
While some complain that this has eroded brand authenticity, small batch handmade food at low costs is not always economically viable today. And in a world of automation, commercialisation and scalability may be necessary to make a hawker career a more realistic aspiration for enterprising youth.
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When it comes to hawker culture, “heritage”, “handmade”, “original” and “affordable” may still be the golden standards, but moving forward, it may be necessary to expand our definition of “authenticity” and “reasonable prices” so that hawker food may continue to find a place in our modern world.
After all, we need more than an inscription to safeguard our diverse and rich hawker culture.
Hawkers cannot be expected to be the only ones to “sacrifice” to protect this legacy. We are all custodians of this cultural heritage.
Annie Tan is a freelance writer.
