How Hawker Culture Unifies Singapore’s multiracial society
- 82newsbulletin
- Sep 10, 2020
- 1 min read
Written by Chan Hoi Kiu (Vienna)
Singapore’s hawker culture dates back to the mid-1800s, originating from early migrant street food vendors. This scene has now transformed into hawker centres all around the city state, showcasing Malay food, Indian food and Chinese food altogether and serving as a melting pot of cuisines for the city’s multiracial society. Food stall owners, who come from different ethnic backgrounds, often use family recipes passed down through generations. Serving food that is close to home, they focus on originality and tradition; as well as the comfort of eating ‘grandma’s home-cooked dishes.’
Hawker centres are Singapore’s “community dining rooms” because it is where Singaporeans, regardless of race and background, come together at one place to enjoy a plate of ‘comfort food.’ The atmosphere and its history has allowed food stall owners and their customers to form deep connections. Hawker food also unifies racial subgroups by providing a collective national identity and national pride towards this shared culture. Having this in mind, the city has applied to have the hawker centres recognised on UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, hoping this family and community culture can be more widely recognised by the world.
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