Page 24 - Our Hawker Stories

Hokkien mee is a beloved Southeast Asian noodle
dish with deep roots in Chinese Hokkien culture. The
dish is smoky, savoury, slightly sweet, and brimming
with umami — comfort street food at its finest. Many
hawker centres that house these foods face uncertain
futures as they are being demolished for development.
One example is the Bukit Timah Hawker Centre, which
has over 50 years of history. It has been demolished to
build an expanded Bukit Timah Community Club, a food
centre, and other community amenities. The hawker
centre had also moved to a temporary spot.

That morning, we approached the Bukit Timah Interim
Hawker Centre with broad smiles, the hum of the early to wake up at 6 am. and leave at 8 pm. Moved by his
crowd welcomed us — families chatting over breakfast, effort, I finished the dish quickly, while my parents and
uncles flipping through newspapers, and the rhythmic my friends ate the food they bought from other stalls. It
clatter of woks echoing from every corner. As we were was a moment full of warmth, flavour, and tradition — a
near our favourite stall, we saw a busker who was fleeting yet unforgettable taste of Singapore’s rich street
performing nearby, his music drawing a small crowd. food heritage.
Attracted by the music, we stopped to listen, dropped a
donation into his coin box, and asked if we could take a
photo with him. “Watching the uncle fry Hokkien Mee made
me realise how much hard work goes into
After that, we made our way to LiXing Hokkien Mee stall. every plate — it’s not just food, it’s our hawker
It was the stall my parents would always buy food from. I heritage.”
watched as the uncle in the stall expertly tossed noodles
into the sizzling wok. He added prawns, eggs, and a Huang Jiangchen &
generous handful of bean sprouts. Within minutes, the Elijah Phoon Zhi An
dish was ready. The uncle said that he had been working P5H
as a hawker for around 20 years. Every day, he had Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)

18 Our Hawker Stories