Page 127 - Our Hawker Stories

Chicky’s Journey Through Singapore’s Hawker Heritage

Hello! I’m Chicky, and I live at Maxwell Food Centre,
one of Singapore’s most beloved hawker centres near
the bustling Central Business District. You might be
surprised, but I’m not your usual chicken rice dish. I’m an
evolved version – a delightful chicken rice ice cream! My
journey is a testament to how hawker food and culture
in Singapore have grown and changed over time.

Let me take you on a trip back in time to see how hawker
centres and the dishes they serve have evolved. Many
of these dishes have roots in the culinary traditions of
immigrants who made Singapore their home. Over the
years, these diverse influences – chinese, malay, indian,
and more – have come together to form our vibrant
hawker culture, blending food, community, and space in
a uniquely Singaporean way. During the Japanese occupation, Maxwell Market
became home to a government cooperative store called
Maxwell Food Centre, my home, opened on 17 November Kumiyai, which managed retail and wholesale trading.
1928. It has witnessed generations of hawkers and food After the war, the Social Welfare Department established
lovers. Many of my neighbours here are second or third- People’s Restaurants here to provide affordable,
generation hawkers who have inherited their stalls and nutritious meals for all.
treasured recipes from their parents. I’m proud to say I
belong to the famous Tian Tian Chicken Rice Stall, which Despite the improved infrastructure, the hawker life
has earned both local and international recognition. remained tough. Water access was limited, and everyone
had to share one washing area. Raw food, utensils,
But our journey wasn’t always so comfortable. In the and dirty woks were all cleaned in the same cramped
past, hawkers operated from roadside stalls. Picture this spot. Hawkers worked long hours under hot, crowded
– cooking beside dirty utensils, soggy grounds scattered conditions. Still, their passion for cooking and feeding
with cigarette butts and tissue paper, and ingredients the community kept them going.
stored without proper hygiene. It was a different
time. In 1913, the authorities began enforcing hygiene Some of my neighbours recall working tirelessly, their
standards, including mandatory licensing for hawkers. legs swollen and aching from standing all day. But they
Not everyone was pleased, and in 1974, a government persevered – and today, we celebrate their hard work
task force was sent out to shut down unlicensed stalls. and heritage. Did you know that 9 in 10 Singaporeans
It was a classic game of cat and mouse, with hawkers agree that hawker centres are an essential part of our
constantly relocating to avoid getting caught. national identity?

continue......

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