Page 133 - Our Hawker Stories

A Morning with Our Hawker Heroes

As Cub Scouts from Ai Tong School, we were excited to
visit our neighbourhood hawker centre to learn more
about the everyday lives of the hawkers who bring us
our favourite food and drinks. Through our interview, we
discovered that being a hawker is not just a job — it is a
lifelong dedication and a labour of love.

We met two hawkers who generously took time from
their busy day to share their stories with us. One of them
has been working at her stall for over 10 years. Every
morning, she arrives at the stall by 6 am, preparing fried
fish and vegetables before opening for business at 8 am.
Her day stretches till 7.30 pm. When we asked if she
enjoyed her work, she smiled and said yes — because it
allows her to interact with many different people every
day. Her favourite dish from her stall? Sliced fish soup,
which she says is healthier and comforting.

The second hawker we spoke to had been working at the
hawker centre for more than 24 years. Her dedication “Interviewing our hawkers showed us that
was inspiring. She wakes up at 5:30 am and reaches her every dish has a story, and every stall is part
stall by 6:00 am to prepare hot desserts such as soya of Singapore’s living heritage.”
bean and chin chow. She starts selling at 9:00 am and
works tirelessly until closing at 9:30 pm. Despite the long
hours and demanding schedule, she told us she is happy
with her job. Her children are all grown up and married, Rey Khai, Carson,
and now she and her husband each run their stalls. She Marcus, and Zhi Jing
finds joy and pride in continuing to serve her community (Cub Scouts)
with delicious drinks and desserts. Ai Tong School

From these interviews, we learned that hawkers are the
unsung heroes behind Singapore’s vibrant food culture.
Their resilience, passion, and hard work are what keep
our hawker centres alive and full of flavour. We are
grateful to them for preserving Singapore’s culinary
heritage and for being part of our daily lives.
Thank you, aunties, for your time and for feeding our
community with love.

Our Hawker Stories 129