Page 42 - Our Hawker Stories

The hawker centre was bustling with crowds of hungry
customers. The clang of metal spatulas against flaming
woks was like music to my ears. Stray tissue packets
were spotted on various seats, indicating that eagerly
competitive Singaporeans had reserved the table. ‘Hot
white ‘mist was rising from the pots, pans, and woks…

School had just ended. I went to the hawker centre
beside my house. I made a beeline for the stall that sells
my favourite food, wanton noodles. Queueing up in
front of the stall, I could smell the tantalising aroma of
the food. Just thinking about it was enough to make my
mouth water.

Before I knew it, it was my turn.

“Soup or dry?” he asked.
hawkers, we won’t have a place to buy and eat for
“Soup,” I replied, handing my five-dollar note to him. You families who may want to take a day off from cooking,
can choose either soup or dry to go with your wanton and those looking for a quick meal.
noodles. Soup is always my go-to because part of the
experience is slurping the warm and flavourful broth Let’s respect and support our local hawkers and keep
that comforts and delights you. the hawker culture alive!

Within a mere three to four minutes, my dish was
prepared! Looking at the rich and complex ingredients, “Slurping the warm wanton noodle soup
it was no surprise that the hawker put his heart and after school always makes me feel better —
soul into making the meal delicious and hearty. The
shrimp wantons — with the juiciest, meatiest shrimp — you can taste the hawker’s heart in every
complemented the noodles and vegetables perfectly. bowl.”

Hawkers show a lot of resilience. Why? Imagine being Liu Hanxi
crammed into a small space, surrounded by heated gas P5.1
stoves all day. Hawkers make diverse and affordable North Spring Primary School
street food dishes for everyone to enjoy. Without

38 Our Hawker Stories