Page 38 - Our Hawker Stories

Hawker culture is known for its local delicacies and
friendly hawkers. It dates back to before the Japanese
occupation, when Singapore was still developing. The
hawkers set up stalls to sell their goods and dishes, and
that was when the history of hawker culture began.

Hi! I am Prisha, and I will share a personal experience
of my family going to a hawker centre in Seng Kang. The
hawker centre’s name is Food Junction, and I am visiting
a chicken rice stall named “Tan Chicken Rice”.

I stepped into the hawker centre, excitement coursing
through my veins. My parents closely followed me. I
clutched a $10 note in my clammy palms. That day was
not a typical day; it was my birthday! My parents allowed
me to buy whatever I desired to eat with the $10 note
in my hand. skin into whatever he was doing. His face radiated with
concentration as he worked. Silver strands of hair fell
The hawker centre came alive. The peak hour at the onto his wrinkled face as he cooked. He wore a faded cap
hawker centre was filled with the hustle and bustle of on his head. His shirt was stained with years of cooking,
people rushing to buy food. Their footsteps thundered but he wore it with pride. He looked as if he were doing
on the cold ceramic floor. The air was alive with the his work with his eyes closed.
laughter and chatter of food lovers enjoying their mouth-
watering food. I heard the sound of noodles frying in a This was Uncle Tan, the owner of the stall.
wok and the clatter of plates. The aroma of peanut sauce
wafted out of the countless stalls and filled the air. Jovial An array of spices lay in anticipation on the slab. Uncle
hawkers called out to ambling customers in a friendly Tan took some and tossed them in a pot of boiling
voice above the din. The whole place was pure chaos. chicken. In a deep, heartwarming voice, Uncle Tan asked
There was so much to take in! I drank in all the sights, me what I ordered. I looked up at him and saw sweat
smells, and sounds. glistening on his forehead.

I walked to my favourite chicken rice stall and joined the “One plate of chicken rice with cabbage and cucumbers,
snaking queue. After an eternity, I reached the front of please!” I replied in a chirpy voice.
the queue. A frail, wrinkled man stood in the middle of
it all. One minute ago, he was slicing slabs of meat while Uncle Tan scooped some rice onto a scarlet-coloured
taking orders. The next minute, he was frying rice in a plate with a giant ladle. Using a pair of steel tongs, he
pot. Love seemed to ooze out from every pore of his picked up a few strips of meat and laid them neatly

34 Our Hawker Stories