Page 10 - Our Hawker Stories

Our Hawker’s Experience

On 26 April 2025, we conducted our study at Kebun
Baru Food Centre. Our project comprised three main
components: eating and tasting experiences, collection
of personal stories, and interviews with hawkers.

Part 1: Culinary Experience
At the food centre, Julius sampled the beef ball beehoon
soup from the beef noodles stall, priced at $5.50. The
aromatic beef broth was comforting and flavourful,
while the handmade beef balls offered a perfect balance
of saltiness and savouriness. The beehoon noodles had
an excellent texture - springy and chewy. Julius described
it as an exceptional dining experience that exceeded his
expectations.

Part 2: A Family’s Perspective
Julius’ mother shared her long-standing connection In contrast, the wanton mee seller finds joy in his craft.
with hawker centres, dating back to her childhood. His passion for cooking shines through as he described
She particularly appreciates the affordable prices and his precise cooking process: bringing water to a boil,
open-air dining environment. Her favourite dishes cooking the noodles to perfection, and carefully adding
include carrot cake and wanton mee, both hawker seasonings and toppings. His stall, a remarkable 60-year-
classics. Through her observations, she highlighted the old establishment, represents a proud family legacy as he
challenges hawkers face, especially their early morning continues the tradition as a second-generation hawker.
preparations. She also noted recent improvements in
cleanliness since the implementation of the tray return Conclusion
system, which has reduced the workload of cleaning Our study revealed that while the hawker profession
staff. presents significant challenges, those who approach it
with passion can find great satisfaction in preserving
Part 3: Voices from the Kitchen Singapore’s culinary heritage.
We interviewed two hawkers who offered contrasting
perspectives on their profession.
“Even though hawkers work long hours in
The beef noodle vendor candidly shared the challenges hot and noisy kitchens, their passion keeps
of his work. His day begins before sunrise to prepare our food heritage alive — one bowl at a
for a 7:30 am opening, and he endures long hours in time.”
challenging conditions - heat, noise, and a demanding
environment. Despite these difficulties, his dedication
to quality is evident in his signature beef soup, which Caymen Cher & Julius Tok
requires eight hours of careful preparation before adding P4
his special blend of seasonings. Ai Tong Primary School

6 Our Hawker Stories