Latest news with #hawkerculture
Independent Singapore
a day ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
Local asks, ‘Are we slowly watching hawker culture fade away?'
SINGAPORE: 'Are we slowly watching hawker culture fade away?' a local recently posted this question on Reddit after the kopitiam he had been going to since childhood closed down last week. In a post on the r/asksg subreddit on Friday (Aug 8), the local expressed that although the establishment was 'nothing fancy' and 'just one of those old-school places where the uncle knows your usual drink and the nasi lemak stall aunty always gives you extra sambal,' he felt rather dejected as it was replaced by yet another air-conditioned café selling truffle fries and oat milk lattes. 'I'm not even mad at the café,' he said. 'Just sad that one more piece of what made Singapore feel like 'home' is gone.' He also wrote that this is not the first time he has witnessed this happen. Over the years, he said, he has noticed more hawker centres growing quieter, with rows of empty tables and some stalls shuttering permanently. He speculated that one of the main reasons behind this shift is the younger generation's lack of interest in taking over hawker businesses. 'I can't really blame them,' he said. 'Long hours, little rest, and tight margins—it's a tough life.' Beyond the challenges faced by hawkers themselves, he pointed out that customer habits have also shifted dramatically. Increasingly, people prefer visiting trendy eateries in air-conditioned malls, enjoy bubble tea after every meal, or turn to food delivery apps for convenience. 'It feels like the way we eat, and the people we choose to eat from, are changing fast.' He then posed a thoughtful question to fellow Reddit users: 'Just wondering – is this just how things naturally evolve in a city? Or do you think there's still a way to keep our hawker culture alive in a meaningful way? Would love to hear how others feel about this. Especially if you've seen this happening in your own neighbourhood too.' 'It's hard to get a nutritious and healthy meal at hawker centres.' In the comments, many Singaporean Redditors agreed with the local's concerns and shared their thoughts on why hawker culture seems to be fading. One common view was that rising rent costs are making it difficult for hawkers to survive. Another observation is that younger folks these days really care about eating healthier meals. But the problem is that hawker centres usually don't offer many nutritious options that fit what they want. Most dishes are heavy on carbs and oil and don't have enough vegetables or balanced ingredients. Because of this, many young people prefer to eat elsewhere, where they can find healthier choices. Citing examples, one Redditor wrote, 'Char kwey tiao is mainly carbs and oily. Bak Chor Mee is mostly noodles. Fish soup has protein but not enough vegetables. It's hard to get a nutritious and healthy meal at hawker centres.' Some also confessed that they prefer visiting fast food restaurants nowadays, as the cost of hawker meals has become comparable to, or at times even higher than, that of fast food. Additionally, hawker centres typically do not have air conditioning and lack convenient meal deals that include beverages, making dining there less comfortable and less appealing for many. Moreover, one Redditor said, 'I think one of the major reasons is that many Singaporeans dismiss their own cuisine as something really inferior. Good Bak Chor Mee at $6 or $8, full of ingredients. Complain it's too expensive. Ramen at $15 with one thin piece of chashu, wah, super affordable!' In other news, a domestic helper has turned to social media to share her frustration over an elderly employer who, she claims, criticises her 'no matter what she does.' Posting in the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid/Domestic Helper Facebook group, the helper said that her employer 'puts her down' almost every day, with the harshest comments often directed at her cooking. Read more: Maid says elderly employer criticises her 'no matter what she does,' asks for advice on social media
CNA
29-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Owner of popular kueh tutu store Tan's Tutu Coconut Cake has died at age 63
Tan Bee Hua, the owner of the popular kueh tutu store Tan's Tutu Coconut Cake, has died at age 63, the store announced on its social media pages on Tuesday morning (Jul 29). "She always [loved] her job and took pride in perfecting her tutu kuehs to contribute to Singapore's rich food heritage. She will always live in our memories," wrote the store. Tan took over the store from her late brother in 2004 following his death. Speaking to CNA Lifestyle in 2018, Tan said that the business was first started by her father as a pushcart and shared how her whole family would help out. 'When I was in secondary school, during the school holidays, we would help clean the pandan leaves and fry the peanuts. Then I would help sell at the roadside before my elder brother, who was working part-time at a machinery hardware store, would come in the evening,' recalled Tan. 'We moved around Singapore – we'd go to the Cathay where there were midnight shows, or Great World City.' Tan's Tutu Coconut Cake has been operating from Havelock Food Centre. It previously closed its Clementi outlet in 2023. In a tribute post on the Facebook group Hawkers United, Melvin Chew, the owner of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck And Kway Chap, said that Tan was a "legend". 'Her passionate passion [for] making tutu kueh [was] a great contribution to our hawker culture,' wrote Chew. 'Auntie Tan had been following her family selling tutu kueh since she [was] very young. [The] passing of Auntie Tan is [a] big [loss] of our hawker culture.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tan's Tu Tu (@tanstutu)
Independent Singapore
17-07-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
‘They're not souvenirs.' Hawker at ABC Brickworks says more can be done to stop utensil theft
SINGAPORE: Ray Chen, who opened Kine Burgers at ABC Brickworks Food Centre and Market just three months ago, went viral last month when he shone a light on a problem that hawkers have of people taking home their cutlery and tableware. In a June 15 Instagram post, he shared a video of a whiteboard at his stall that read: 'Dear customers, in the past 10 operating days, 41 forks and 10 plates have been stolen. As a small Singapore business promoting sustainability, we kindly request their return. Authorities will be involved soon. Thank you and God bless.' @kineburgers #stopstealingfromhawkers #kine #KineBurgers #ai #aidesign #LactoseFree #BurgerLovers #HealthyGut #SGHawkerLife #BurgerSquad #hawkerculture #burger #abchawker #hawker #newhawker #sgfoodie #foodietiktok #singapore #openingsoon #burgersg #entrepreneur #michellin ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim After media outlets wrote about the issue, Mr Chen further posted about what he termed a 'nightmare' for Singapore's elderly hawkers, calling it a betrayal of the people who work long hours to serve up delicious food, day after day. 'It's not as though hawkers earn a lot,' Mr Chen told The Independent Singapore in a video interview earlier this week, when we caught up with him to ask him about the issue. He told us that the thievery has slowed down somewhat, but then Kine Burgers has made the switch to disposable forks instead of the small, elegant silver ones they originally used. These became a favoured take-home item within the first week after the stall opened in April, and the square silver plates followed soon afterwards. Photo: Screengrab from r/SingaporeRaw/user illiterate populist 'People treat them as souvenirs,' he told us wryly. When he reported the issue to the authorities, he was told there was not much that could be done. He was also advised to treat the vanishing forks and plates as part of the business' operating expenses, as this is a longstanding problem, so he should get used to it. Sometimes diners don't necessarily mean to steal, Mr Chen added. An older hawker told him about a woman who did not buy food at his stall but asked to borrow utensils, saying she'd bring them back. She never did. The police have told Mr Chen that it would be hard to identify the people who took home Kine's and other hawkers' utensils and plates, particularly since some of these items are quite small. When asked whether the mindset that hawker centre utensils can be treated like souvenirs can change, Mr Chen says he believes so. Even something as simple as the police putting up posters can serve as both a deterrent and a reminder to people to leave cutlery and tableware in hawker centres. He also feels that a few more CCTV cameras in place would be a big help as well. This hawker life That life can be difficult for hawkers can be hard for people to understand, unless they personally know some hawkers, he told TISG. 'People think we're grumpy because we don't stop to chat with customers. We work at least 12, 13 hours a day, and every minute we spend not working means less earnings for us,' the former pastry chef said, adding, 'We are busy… constantly working.' In addition, staffing is a constant challenge. Rental rates, fortunately, are still all right. Since Kine Burgers is currently under the National Environment Agency's Incubation Stall Programme, his rent is discounted. We asked the 38-year-old Mr Chen, who's about to become a first-time father in the coming weeks, if he would ever encourage his child to follow in his footsteps as a hawker. 'Only if it's her passion,' he said, 'only if it's what she wants.' /TISG Read also: 'Heartbreaking betrayal' of elderly hawkers: Stallholder calls out plate and utensil theft at ABC Brickworks
