HAWKER CULTURE

 

Hawker culture in Singapore is an integral part of the way of life for Singaporeans, where people from all walks of life gather at the Hawker Centre to dine and bond over their favourite hawker food. The food reflects the multicultural society, with stalls selling Chinese, Malay, India and many diverse type of dishes.

 

In Nov 2020, Singapore Hawker Culture was recommended for the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

 

I am thrilled to share that  Joe Biden, U.S. President Elect, had also visited a Hawker Center during his visit to Singapore in the year 2013 when he was the U.S. Vice President.

 

Above photo is that of the  Maxwell Food Centre. It is featured at the ultimate Tourist Guide to Hawker Food and is very popular amongst both locals and tourists. 

 

ADAM FOOD CENTRE 

 

The Unlikely Visitor – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in 2013

 

The news of Joe Biden, the president-elect of the U.S. who visited the Singapore Adam Hawker centre when he was the Vice President U.S. in 2013 was being flashed by the Straits Times News on 11 Nov 2020 as Singapore congratulated Joe on winning the U.S election. 

I stay just within 15 mins walking distance to the Adam Hawker Centre. So I was excited when I saw the recent news flash and glad to capture and share the screen shots here. 

 

It was very heartening and inspiring to see how humble Joe Biden was. He was personally buying and paying for a cup of Ice Lime Juice and shaking hands with the owner of Indian Rojak stall. The word ‘Rojak” means “Mix” and the colourful pieces are deep-fried flour of ingredients, from prawn fritters to eggs to potatoes.

 

My All Times Favourites

 

 

I often visit Adam Hawker Centre for my all time favourite Prawn Noodles Soup and the refreshing shaved ice Cheng Teng (meaning clear soup and is a popular cold traditional sweet desserts treat). 

 

Nasi Lemak : a Malay cuisine dish consisting of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf and served with a mix of selected ingredients (eg eggs, fish, chicken etc) and Sambal Chilli. 

 

 

FROM DIFFERENT HAWKERS

 

Occasional Indulgence

 

Roti Prata is an Indian Flatbread Dish, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and is usually served with curry. You can have it plain or have it filled with ingredients such as egg, onion or even cheese.

Best complement with a cup of Kopi O, a local traditional black coffee. I was grateful to the Farrer Food Centre stall owner who had allowed me to take a video of him flipping the prata, the most difficult part in making a good fluffy prata.

 

Original Hawker Chan

Hawker Chan had been awarded the Michelin One Star 2016-2019 and receive the title of “The World First Hawker Michelin-starred Meal” and “The Cheapest Michelin-starred Meal in the World”.

The signature dish is the soft and tender Soya Sauce Chicken served with noodles or rice.

 

The founder stall is still in operation at the original Chinatown Food Centre. Exactly the same food as those served at their chain of concept restaurants but at hawker price. A lady in the queue told me she had been buying from this stall for the past 30 years.

 

Yummy Variety Of Food

Western Meal was very unlikely choice for me but decided to give it a try when I saw a queue. Fish and Chips was super tasty and good value for money, S$8 for 3 huge pieces of fish with lots of French Fries and salad. A famous stall since 1976 lost and found in Maxwell !

Wonton Noodles can be found in every hawker Center. This one at Clementi always had a long queue. Springy Noodles and the Fried Wonton, blended with very Tasty sauces.

 

It is very common for people to Dao Pao (means take away) and I bought this Fried Hokkien Noodles. It is noodles fried in rich prawn broth with eggs, squid and prawn in a big Wok and served with Sambal Chilli.

 

WHAT A WEEK 

I had a great week visiting the different Hawker Centres and had enjoyed all the food I had tried. 

 

Although none of these Hawker Centres were new to me, I had never explored them the way I did.   What was most pleasing is to be able to visit them during the off peak hours, privilege of a happy retiree 😊. 

 

Grateful for our wide variety of cheap and tasty Hawker Food ! 

 

Very inspired as well by Joe Biden and Hawker Chan founder, despite their huge success, they remained very grounded and humble. 

 

Feeling Happy 😃

 

Lyn 🌻😊