CNA: Belly Of A Nation – #1/2 – Singapore’s hawker culture: how did it all start?

 

From push carts to modern hawker centres, Singapore’s hawker culture has evolved through the years. How did early immigrants create food that’s uniquely Singaporean? Why is Hokkien mee Hokkien, and how did Indian rojak come about?

This 2-part documentary series explores the hearts and minds of Singapore’s hawkers while paying homage to the amazing dishes that they serve. Going back into the past, we trace how ethnic lines were blurred by roving hawkers and continued to integrate in the hawker centre. But over the years, against the winds of change, eating hawker food in hot and humid centres fell out of fashion. As the first generation stallholders pass on, who is going to carry their torch? We profile some of the brave and intrepid hawkerpreneurs, the new breed, who despite the odds think that they can make it and keep the hawker culture alive in Singapore.