MAKAN EXPERIENCE

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Foreword In collaboration with National Environment Agency (NEA), ‘MAKAN EXPERIENCE’ was crafted as a Final Year Project brief to challenge students to rethink, relook and reimagine what is common yet close to our hearts — our local food and dining culture at the Hawker Centre.

To meet this brief, our Experience Design Studio examined notions and perceptions of local dining culture, followed by explorations of new possibilities to enhance user engagement and experience at the Hawker Centre. Students were inspired to investigate a wide range of issues, ranging from values of authenticity to perception of cleanliness and engaging younger generations.

This intense 15-week learning journey enabled students to understand and expand on the experiential components of food beyond its basic function. Through study and exploration, students gained insights on the values, sensations, identities, behaviours and interactions surrounding our local food culture.

It’s makan time!

Winston Chai & Ong Kok Kiong February 2014

Contents 14

PROLOGUE

Branding through Scent

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DUAN MENGXI

Dining Experiences, today.

WINSTON CHAI & ONG KOK KIONG

16 Celebrating Our Hawker Masters

ESSAYS

JOLIN NAI

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Does Authenticity Matter?

The Multiracial Hawker Centre

THET NGON PHU LWIN

DZULKANEAN ALI

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Food as Bragging Rights

Food Sharing

JOLYN KANG

TAN ZU YI STEFANIE

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Promoting Local Food Culture to Foreigners

Healthier Hawker Food THET NGON PHU LWIN

NICOLE BERNADETTE LOW

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Hygiene: Perception vs Reality

Uniquely Hawker Masters JOLIN NAI

HAN LI LI

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Joy

Food as Lifestyle

TAN ZU YI STEFANIE

JACQUELINE PHUA

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FINAL YEAR PROJECTS

TakeAway DZULKANEAN ALI

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#mymakanspot JOLYN KANG

80-20 Healthy Hawker THET NGON PHU LWIN

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Hawker Adventures NICOLE BERNADETTE LOW

The Little Tray HAN LI LI

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Singapore Scent Library DUAN MENGXI

‘Chope’ Hawker Delivery JACQUELINE PHUA

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What makes a truly local yet meaningful new dining experience?

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Dining Experiences, today.

PROLOGUE BY WINSTON CHAI & ONG KOK KIONG ILLUSTRATIONS BY THET NGON PHU LWIN

What constitutes a ‘good’ dining experience in our local, Singapore context?

they are intentionally developed by restaurateurs and experience makers to enhance the overall experience. For example, Dean and Deluca is exemplary in integrating merchandising with dining. The Farmer’s Market from Australia to USA is another example of the extended dining experience, integrating events with dining.

Beyond the local fares we are so famous for, we have unique dining experience concepts like food courts and hawker centres (eg Lau Pa Sat) that we have successfully exported to other countries (eg Hong Kong and China). Our local food and dining offerings contribute significantly to our way of life, identity, culture and certainly — our waistlines.

How would our food and dining experiences take shape in the future?

Over the years, our food and dining experiences have been evolving. Significant improvements have been made in cleanliness, hygiene and comfort, when comparing street side hawkers to air-conditioned food courts. The quality and types of food have been evolving as well. Today, beyond local fares, one can find Belgian waffles to Japanese ramen alongside our perennial favourite Hainanese Chicken Rice. With our city-state being a global melting pot of different races and diverse cultures, how would our food and dining experiences take shape in the future?

Food service companies have moved beyond serving food to providing immersive learning experiences. The Blue Elephant Group in Thailand not only provides food through their restaurant, they provide cooking lessons for one to experience Thai food and culture at a more holistic level.

More commonly, extended dining experiences are provided by ice cream parlours and sandwich bars that engage their customers to make their own desserts and meals. Given these examples, could local dining experiences be likewise enhanced?

Asia is rich in dining culture. If we research around the region, we can find interesting and enriching dining experiences that not only define the culture, but also the place — think beach dining in Bali or sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Fish Market. Could Ghim Moh Market have an identity or specialty of its own?

Good branding and communication for food concepts, cafes and restaurants can enhance experiences and promote businesses. The philosophy and agenda of the company can be promoted through visual identity, interiors, food packaging, social media and realtime videos of food preparation. Brands such as Starbucks and Frolick provide testament that good communication design enhances dining experiences. A brand idea successfully implemented across a system of experience touchpoints can take dining experiences to a whole new level, becoming an avenue for new aspirations, values and lifestyles.

There has never been any correlation between healthy eating and eating out. Is it a justified preconception that eating out is always unhealthy?

Should nutritious eating be available only at home or come with a higher price tag? Can the delicious also be nutritious? The army camps in Singapore provide a positive example where cookhouses serve huge quantities of nutritious yet relatively delicious food for National Servicemen on a daily basis. Beyond our shores, the food provided at huge monasteries in South Korea has been gaining popularity because of their nutritional value as well as great taste.

The possibilities to consider and reconsider our local dining scene are endless. What makes a truly local yet enriching and meaningful new dining experience?

Dining experiences have extended beyond the moment when food is served and consumed at the table. Extended dining experiences are aided not just by technology (think food blogging),

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Types of Hainanese Chicken Rice lls ba e r ic

Malaysia

Singapore Thailand

“khao man kai�

The Philippines hainanese fried chicken rice

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Does Authenticity Matter?

ESSAY & ILLUSTRATIONS BY THET NGON PHU LWIN

In a multicultural country like Singapore, we have many diverse dining options and a variety of cuisines. The value of authenticity plays an important part in food places like hawker centres.

This is because the many different ethnic food types are representative of the gastronomic city. They are also staple meals which make up an essential part of Singaporean’s lives.

Authenticity is, by far, also a personal taste or assumption of what each cuisine should taste like.

Most people rely on word of mouth from friends and reviews from food bloggers to help decide if a place they want to dine at serves authentic food or not. People romanticise the idea of authentic food from ancient cuisines even though recipes are easily accessible. An example would be Tim Ho Wan that took Singapore by storm when they opened an outlet at Plaza Singapura. People queued for hours to dine there since Tim Ho Wan is known to serve authentic Hong Kong dim sum.

People tend to romanticise about authenticity

But if we compare it to the original Tim Ho Wan Eating House in Hong Kong, it is almost unauthentic as there are factors like the furnishing of the restaurant to be considered aside from its food. The “authentic” and “original” Tim Ho Wan is run down with not much attention paid to the exterior and interior of the restaurant. They focus much more on the making of dim sum as compared to Singapore’s outlet which is situated in a nicely lit and air conditioned shopping centre.

Hawker centres house many stalls that sell delicious and inexpensive food. They are also highly accessible with over 100 dotted around Singapore.

The long and extensive history of hawker centres dating back from the 1950s gives some famous food dishes their authenticity value. Often the most notable popular stalls are greeted with long queues.

Nostalgia is one of the key ways to determine authenticity

For famous hawker foods, the dish can evolve over time and yet have a core recipe, so does authenticity really matter if the food is suitable enough for your palate? How can food be really considered authentic when there are hundreds of other similar recipes? Apart from all types of information available, nostalgia is one of the key ways to determine the authenticity of a dish.

To conclude, authenticity is an abstract concept that is almost subjective. People perceive it differently and its significance varies, as most people are content with a dish that is palatable to them.

Despite its subjectivity, many Singaporeans establish what an ‘authentic’ food is like this way.

For example, your very first memory of the plate of chicken rice you ate will always be the golden standard for your next plate of chicken rice.

However, this expectation affects future dining experiences, thus affecting the perception of authenticity.

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Search for the best angle and composition

Snap the best photo possible and upload to social media platforms

Choose the most photogenic food Wait for likes and comments!

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Food as Bragging Rights ESSAY & ILLUSTRATION BY JOLYN KANG

Food is a basic necessity. It gives us energy and essential nutrients to grow and maintain life. Unlike the past, however, food has evolved to more than just a daily necessity.

Hypes are created based on curiosity. We are curious to try new things, as Singaporeans are reputed as ‘kaypoh’, or busybodies. Food brands generate hype by giving food bloggers, journalists, and other personalities freebies to try. In return they review new food sensations for huge numbers of their followers through blogs and social media.

Through ripple effects, more people will hear about the newest food in town and be curious to try.

Long queues for food have become the norm — be it queuing at famous food stalls or newly opened restaurants. Food is Singapore’s national hobby, if not obsession. Singaporeans enjoy being the first to try out new food. Being a food paradise, Singapore is filled with food courts, hawker centres, cafes and restaurants that are easily accessible.

Food gives people a way to boost their self-esteem

Nothing comes between Singaporeans and food, not even distance and time. For instance, during the launch of Krispy Kreme in Singapore last October, Singaporeans of ages and from all walks of life started queuing a day before it opened.

Recent food hypes such as Jamie’s Italian and Tim Ho Wan attracted large crowds to wait in line.

So, how did the concept of food change over the years?

Moreover, food with authenticity claims would garner even greater attention, both from the media and the public. Singaporean food which is authentic resonates not only with Singaporeans but also tourists and visitors. Likewise, due to the popularity of K-Pop and J-Pop culture, Singaporeans are drawn to authentic Korean and Japanese cuisines.

Perhaps it’s just us Singaporeans, who are often labelled as ‘kiasu’, or super competitive. We want to be the first to get our hands on everything, be it gadgets, clothes, cosmetics or food. Social media could be a major contributing factor too. With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr, we can easily upload photos to show off our new food finds within seconds.

Thus said, hypes come and go, as they can only be sustained by continuous buzz. For example, it takes multi-Michelin Star chef Gordon Ramsay’s ‘Hawker Heroes Challenge’ to generate interest locally and internationally, and entice a huge crowd to appreciate the authentic tastes of Chicken Rice, Laksa and Chilli Crab.

No longer just a basic necessity, food provides bragging rights. If someone is among the first to try the newest food trend in Singapore, he will be regarded as up-to-date and cool. He will gain others’ attention through “likes” and comments.

If someone consistently posts photos of food from different restaurants or cafes, she will be seen as rich or “high class”. Therefore, food plays an important role in social status. Sites such as HungryGoWhere, SoShiok and OpenRice allow Singaporeans to share their dining experiences.

Brands such as Apple also make use of elements such as creating suspense, the illusion of scarcity and the “wow” factor to win international appeal.

Other factors that sustain hype would be having constant updates around the brand, having celebrity endorsements or holding new events.

One may ask: Can hawker centres create hype that can be sustained to allow bragging rights like its “cooler” or “classier” counterparts such as cafes and restaurants?

Given the popularity of food as a topic, and our desire to show off at times, food gives people a way of boosting their self-esteem and garnering attention from others. Bragging gives people self-satisfaction when they show others what they are missing out on. However, without the “likes” or comments on food pictures posted, would people still think it is worth their time to join the queue? If there were nobody to show off to, would food be worth their hype in Singapore?

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Promoting Local Food Culture to Foreigners ESSAY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICOLE BERNADETTE LOW

With recent additions of tourist attractions, Singapore has maintained its standing as a popular tourist destination, with international visitors rising from 13.2 million in 2011 to 14.4 million in 2012.

Practices and rituals form another component of cultures that cannot be missed. There are plenty of peculiar practices present in the local food scene.

For example, the practice of “chope-ing” tables using packets of tissue paper. This refers to the use of tissue paper packets to occupy a table without the presence of an individual. Despite having no proper grounding of where and how this practice started, it is commonly seen in many hawker centres. This is a practice that tourists or foreigners may not be familiar with.

As a multi-racial society, Singapore is home to diverse cultures and religions that are rich in history. These cultural interactions influenced locals over the years, allowing the nation to develop holistically. Amidst these developments, the Singapore cuisine was born. Local food is an icon representing the ethnic diversity in Singapore, allowing locals to build an identity for themselves.

The unique fusion of cultural elements has drawn people from around the world to come and experience our local food culture.

The Hawker Centre is a museum of Singapore’s heritage

Local food can be found all around the island, predominantly in hawker centres. Hawker centres have been around for the past 40 years and was part of the government’s street hawker resettlement programme to control and monitor food preparation hygiene. Since the start of the first hawker centre in 1971, its purpose of providing affordable food to locals has remained. Hawker centres have become an integral part of life where people of various backgrounds meet and have a good time.

Another example would be the practice of queuing.

When a long queue is sighted, it means that the stall is famous and well loved for the food they sell.

Singaporeans love their food and are willing to queue for a food they deem to be good. Also, the likelihood of enjoying food from a stall increases with the number of newspaper articles a stall is featured in.

Personally, I’d like to promote local food culture to foreigners because I feel that it is the true way to experience the “Singaporean way of life”. The arousal of all senses forms the experience and it is something truly unique only to Singapore. The primary intent would be to immerse foreigners in this culture, teaching them about basic hawker centre know-how and little practices, such as, how and what to order, informing the stall owner about their table number, and so on. This would allow them to take a step forward to understanding Singapore’s local culture. As hawker centres are places that Singaporeans can identify with, it will instil pride in Singaporeans when they see foreigners learning and appreciating their culture.

There is no better way to experience a country’s culture than through food, as each dish represents a way of life in the past. For instance, Char Kway Teow was a dish created to serve coolies, as it was an economical source of energy and nutrients.

Hawker centres are almost like a museum of Singapore’s heritage, in the form of food. The vast variety of dishes available at hawker centres may cause one to feel taken aback and unsure of what to order.

Though food forms a large part of the experience at hawker centres, the soundscapes are also unique to each and every hawker centre. Visiting a hawker centre allows one to see the interactions between hawkers and customers. A concoction of languages can be heard at the same time with English, Chinese, Malay, Indian and various dialects. Dialects also form part of the local culture and are not usually heard overseas. Some common ones include Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese.

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H C FRES ACIDI Y R G E T TAN ONY BIT LEM

CY

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A B R E

I VY G H P S A IN L HE EE

BO

F

F

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MILD

Aroma triggers imagination 14

Branding through Scent ESSAY & ILLUSTRATION BY DUAN MENGXI

background. They are highly subjective. The structure of our lives has changed due to digital technology. Social media has pushed our lives online. In a society where speed and connectivity is everything, scents can be judged in a few seconds. Smell can translate the virtual into reallife experiences. For example, perfume is formed with the molecules of raw materials, but smelling it provides real pleasures. More than other senses, smell can be designed and created to engage people on an emotional and authentic level.

We are able to close our eyes, cover our ears, avoid touch, refuse taste, but we are not able to turn off our sense of smell. We smell with every breath we take. Our ability to recognise scents and odours is much greater than our ability to recall what we have seen or heard.

Smell is processed by the oldest part of our brain.

We store our values, feelings and emotions in the limbic system of our brain. Smell is the only sense that directly connects to this system. Our memories and smell are tied very closely together.

A specific smell can spark a flood of reminiscences.

For example, a whiff of grandmother’s homemade noodles can instantly take you back to your childhood.

Only 20% of food experience comes from taste

This is known as the Proust Phenomenon. It is a sensory effect named after a scene in ‘In Search of Lost Time’ by Marcel Proust. The scene describes how a powerful memory of childhood is triggered by the taste of a madeleine cake dipped in a cup of tea. The triggers for the memory are actually odours and scents. More than pictures or sounds, smell is extraordinarily powerful in evoking images, sensations, memories and associations. Memories triggered by smell are more emotional and detailed than other senses.

In olfactory marketing, smell is used to influence consumer decisions. Nike, Victoria’s Secret, M&M’s, Hilton, Rolls-Royce, Ford and Singapore Airlines are just a handful of many brands using smell to market themselves. The food industry heavily leverages on the power of smell. Smell works over long distances, taste doesn’t. Taste without smell can satisfy our hunger, but not our appetite.

Food only fulfills our physiological needs, whereas taste combined with smell can become a real food experience with pleasure. At Disney World, popcorn attendants are trained to turn on the artificial smell of popcorn when business is slow.

McDonald’s makes use of the signature smell of its famous French Fries to attract customers.

More importantly, taste and smell are closely related. Most of the descriptive phrases for smell are associated with food. Food smells not just perk up one’s appetite. Only 20% of a food experience comes from taste, the remaining 80% comes from smell. Smell is estimated to be 10,000 times more sensitive than taste. It is possible to leverage aromas without including taste. However, taste without smell is virtually impossible. Smell is the most direct and basic sense. Yet, it is only in recent years that we have become aware of the power of smell. Why is this so?

That is why I think that making use of scent is an interesting and effective way to promote and rebrand Singapore’s hawker centres. By designing a new olfactory experience, we can introduce Singapore food culture to more people. Scent can induce memories and emotions, leading to higher levels of sensory engagement. Scent can be a special yet authentic way to represent Singapore’s hawker centres.

First of all, smell is immensely complex, almost impossible to describe. We are exposed to thousands of different smells, yet our vocabulary for smell is extremely limited. The language of smell is still highly undeveloped. Secondly, smell is the most difficult to study among our five senses.

There are around 100,000 odors in the world, one thousand of which are primary odors. Each odor molecule needs to be recognised and analysed by a small subset of hundreds of different olfactory receptors in our noses. Everyone perceives scents differently, because there are many other factors at play. Our olfactory values are determined by age, race, gender, social, cultural and even educational

Branding through scent not only contributes to the identity of the product, it also brings emotional connection to the product. In some cases, smell may have little to do with the actual product, yet in the end it comes to play the most fundamental role in our relationship with the product. The starting point of an olfactory expression of a brand can be complex, but with the right sensory memories activated, smell can become one of the strongest bonds between a product and its consumers.

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Hawker Master Lee Chia Tan and his famous Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles

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Celebrating Our Hawker Masters ESSAY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOLIN NAI

The hawker centre is a popular pit stop for locals and tourists. From dishes to ambience, the experience is unique. The hawker centre is home to Singapore’s spirit, showcasing our national identity and our multi-cultural heritage. It has a role in preserving Singapore’s street food heritage, a food culture that Singaporeans are proud of.

Hawker food is loved by many, but there is a lack of appreciation of Hawker Masters.

Hawkers ply their trade and skills at ubiquitous hawker centres. In the past, hawker food was peddled along the streets and was filthy and unhygienic. The National Environment Agency (NEA) was formed to improve and promote good hygiene practices and public health. NEA’s consolidation of hawkers at central locations (‘hawker centres’) enabled hygiene standards to be maintained, and kept the cost of hawker food low.

The term ‘hawker centre’ reflects the intention of retaining the hawker culture.

Children are often told: “If you don’t study hard, you will end up working as a cleaner, karang guni man or hawker”. This diminishes the status of hawkers. The truth is, to succeed as a hawker, one has to be knowledgeable, resourceful, inventive, entrepreneurial and hardworking. Just because being a hawker is not glamorous does not mean that they do not deserve recognition and appreciation.

Nonetheless, the appreciation for hawkers is lacking, in spite of the annual ‘Singapore Hawker Masters’ awards, books like ‘“Not For Sale”– Singapore’s Remaining Heritage Street Food Vendors’, ‘The End of Char Kway Teow and Other Hawker Mysteries’, blogs like MakaNation by Makansutra, and local TV shows such as ‘Our Makan Places Lost and Found’. While these initiatives raised awareness, arguably they are not enough for hawkers to gain more recognition.

Hawker Masters are no less than restaurant chefs.

A Hawker Master puts in a lot of time and effort to experiment with ingredients to perfect their recipes, and deliver meals of consistent high quality to their customers. Hawker Masters devote their lives to their trade, much like chefs do. However, young Singaporeans look up to renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsay or local celebrity chefs like Eric Teo, but not our Hawker Masters.

Though the ‘Hawker Heroes Challenge’ was a success, it was due to Gordon Ramsay’s presence.

Hawker stalls such as Tian Tian Chicken Rice and 328 Katong Laksa gained popularity from their victories, but did Singaporeans start to take pride in hawkers and hawker culture? Do we need multiMichelin Star chefs to show Singaporeans how good our Hawker Masters are?

At the recent ‘Hawker Heroes Challenge’, Gordon Ramsay was worshipped like a superstar by Singaporeans. In contrast, when the host KF Seetoh tried to get Singaporeans to cheer for Singapore’s very own Hawker Masters, the response was less enthusiastic. The aim of the event was for Singaporeans to take pride in their own hawker culture, yet the lack of pride was palpable. The French take pride in their national cuisine and food establishments like the brasserie, so why can’t Singaporeans do the same?

People tend to take things for granted until we lose them. Mr Ng Siaw Meng, Singapore’s best Satay Bee Hoon hawker, passed away early this year from stomach cancer. No one knew about his story until he announced his intention to sell his recipe. I feel that we should not wait till the very last moment to appreciate a Hawker Master. Singaporeans should start to take pride in our Hawker Masters—creators of Singapore’s inimitable cuisine.

Singaporean’s lack of appreciation for our hawker culture can be due to Singapore’s openness to global culture. As a result, Singaporeans tend to elevate the status of foreign cuisines at the expense of our own. For example, we tend to rave about Western food, but question the value of our local food. In addition, we tend to take hawkers and their food for granted due to its availability and affordability.

Time is ticking and the hawker trade is dying.

Therefore, it is time to celebrate Hawker Masters for their hard work and share their stories with young Singaporeans. To know and understand a person’s story is fun and interactive. Sharing their stories with young Singaporeans will not only increase appreciation for Hawker Masters, it will enhance their status by emphasising that being a hawker is a respectable profession. By honouring Hawker Masters, we are not only elevating our hawker culture, we are building an identity for Singapore, one to be continued for generations to come.

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The Multiracial Hawker Centre ESSAY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY DZULKANEAN ALI

Singapore is a multiracial country with different races living side by side. Malays, Chinese, Indians and Caucasians from all walks of life live harmoniously with each other. However, such racial harmony did not happen by chance, and should not to be taken for granted. It could fall apart as demonstrated in the race riots of 1964 and 1969.

Hawker centres offer the opportunity of sharing local cultural stories. For example, I bet that many of you have probably heard, seen and even eaten Vadai, the Indian version of fried donut made from corn flour. But you are probably unaware that Vadai is a snack offered to Lord Ganesha during the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival. Everyone’s favourite Roti John translates to John’s Bread. One fine day, an Englishman named John visited a hawker centre and requested French Toast from one of the Malay stalls. Trying his best, the hawker made his own version of French Toast adding minced meat and onions, and the Roti John was born.

Since then, Singapore has continued to work hard at forging a stronger multiracial identity and fostering stronger bonds between the races. In 1991, racial and religious harmony was enshrined as one of Singapore’s Shared Values, recognising the need for different communities to live harmoniously with one another in order for all to prosper.

Hawker centres offer endless possibilities. We can spread interracial understanding by helping each other appreciate the symbolic value of festive foods at hawker centres. For example, Muslims are limited to halal food stalls. Muslim friends may never get to know what ‘tang yuan’, a Chinese dessert, tastes like as it is not halal. On top of that, most halal stalls are at a corner of the hawker centre separated from non-halal stalls.

Hawker centres can be utilised for promoting racial harmony

Given this, my proposal is to get information to patrons by providing random and fun facts about the different ethnic foods in hawker centres. In this way, if you are a Chinese having Chinese food, you will be able to understand interesting facts about Malay or Indian food, and so on. By broadening Singaporean’s perspectives on the cultural significance of our ethnic cuisine, this would strengthen interracial bonds through hawker food.

Racial harmony and integration has been promoted through different means. One way is through the development of common spaces. In public housing, the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) was implemented in 1989 to ensure a balanced ethnic mix across Housing & Development Board (HDB) estates and prevent the formation of racial enclaves.

Common facilities such as community centres and playgrounds were built as common spaces for social interaction between different races.

Common spaces can be better utilised for promoting racial harmony. One common space that is untapped is our hawker centres. The hawker centre is the perfect place for promoting interracial understanding because Chinese, Indian, Malay and Western stalls operate on the same ground.

Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans including tourists and visitors congregate at the hawker centre for food. The hawker centre being the meeting point for all races is the ideal location for spreading interracial understanding.

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Sharing is a form of communication

Food Sharing ESSAY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAN ZU YI STEFANIE

Sharing is caring. Sharing is also a form of communication, because when people share, they are have to interact with each other.

In Singapore, buffets are usually catered for celebrations and huge crowds. For the Chinese, there will usually be fried rice or bee hoon along dishes such as prawns, chicken or vegetables.

For the Malays and Indians, there will usually be rendang and curry. Buffets can be held anywhere, even by one’s doorstep. Families and friends would queue up in an orderly manner to help themselves to food from large trays, before joining their friends to enjoy the food. At buffet restaurants, there will be a huge variety of food from different cultures such as Chinese, Western, Korean, Japanese, French, Italian, Turkish and many more. Diners get to to interact with one another while experiencing the cultural significance behind each cuisine.

Sharing usually takes place when one is close to another, for example between family members and friends. It allows bonding to take place. It helps to cultivate and strengthen friendships and relationships as people get to understand one another. Family and friendship are ranked third in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, under “love and belonging”. “Love and belonging” are essential for humans because we need to love and feel loved.

Otherwise we become susceptible to loneliness, anxiety and depression.

An article from ‘Nourish’ reported on how sharing food and conversation around the dinner table makes for happier, healthier families. “There’s camaraderie and the family bonding that goes into sitting down and talking about your day over dinner in the evening,” said Dr Nadine Burke (Source: http://www.nourishlife.org/2011/03/food_and_ family/).

However, in hawker centres today, food sharing is not commonly seen. This is largely due to the single portion sized plates that are used to serve food.

People would usually order the food of their choice and settle down to eat with or without their families or friends. By allowing food sharing in hawker centres, one is better able to experience a variety of local food and culture while interacting with one another through the food they share.

Food sharing occurs when people come together for communal dining. It allows social interaction while dining. Take for example, the steamboat, also known as hot pot. The steamboat is traditionally enjoyed during festive seasons such as Chinese New Year. Families gather for reunion dinners with a big pot of boiling soup on the table alongside plates of raw or cooked dishes such as prawns, quail eggs and so on. The steamboat symbolises togetherness, and people get to bond with one another by chatting while the food is cooked.

Thus said, food sharing is not without disadvantages. It can be unhygienic at times.

People may not be comfortable with the idea of food sharing, as it may involve sharing the same cutlery. To add on, there are people who may be saliva conscious. Hence, they would share food only with people they are really close to, to the extent that they do not mind the sharing of saliva.

Food sharing must also cater to the requirements of different cultures. For example, Muslims are required to consume halal food, thus dining utensils and cutlery must not be tainted with non-halal food.

Food sharing also takes place over picnics and potlucks, where families or friends gather with food prepared by them for sharing with one another.

Hospitality is shown by making food to be shared.

Everyone experiences exclusivity because the food is not for sale anywhere else. In addition, it is not an everyday thing to get to taste food made by one another. People get to share the food that they are expert at making, and social interaction such as complimenting each other takes place. Food sharing becomes enjoyable and brings families and friends closer to one another.

Food sharing is one way that allows friends and families to truly experience the meaning of dining together. As people dine together sharing food, it allows social interaction, making the dining experience enjoyable.

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Satay

500Cal

Popiah

188Cal

Chicken Rice

660Cal

Hokkien Mee

693Cal

Roti Prata

424Cal

Fried Bee Hoon

965Cal

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Healthier Hawker Food ESSAY & ILLUSTRATION BY THET NGON PHU LWIN

Despite active government efforts to promote a healthier lifestyle, Singaporeans are eating out more than ever.

oil, and substitute white rice with brown rice, using brown rice bee hoon and whole grain noodles, and selling drinks with lower sugar content. For example, a Malay food stall in Eunos Crescent Food Centre highlights food below 500 calories on their menu board. Despite more customers attracted to healthier options, the impact is not widespread.

Too much eating out has been cited as a reason why Singaporeans are becoming fatter. One in 10 people in Singapore is obese, according to a national health survey by Ministry of Health (http:// data.gov.sg). Most people eat at food centres, and dietitians point out that hawker food – even soupy dishes that are supposedly more healthy – might not be entirely good for health. Ingredients, cooking methods and portion size are some of the factors that contribute to hawker dishes being unhealthy. If we could tackle one issue, we would be seeing a positive change in the statistics.

Eating out too often can lead to chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart problems, leading to high healthcare costs. The Korean, Japanese and French have different eating habits compared to Singaporeans. Korean cuisine prominently features ‘bancan’ which are side dishes served in small plates. This makes the consumer think that they are having a lot of food, preventing them from overeating.

Ingredients, cooking methods and portion size make hawker dishes unhealthy

The Japanese have their bento dishes which sections food into portions, so that servings of starch, meat, vegetables and fruits are conveniently placed on a plate. This also prevents them from overeating which explains their slim population.

They also live longer, and it is closely tied to their eating habits. There is also a Japanese saying ‘hara hachi bu’, meaning to eat until we are 80% full, since human bodies require 20 minutes to signal that we are full. This habit has helped Okinawans to be the healthiest and longest living people on earth.

For example, a typical breakfast of two toasted slices of bread with peanut butter and a cup of coffee at home totals an average of 300 calories.

The breakfast foods provided at hawker centres such as fried bee hoon with luncheon meat, fried egg and chicken wing totals a whopping 965 calories! Apart from a high caloric count, these foods are also high in cholesterol and saturated fats. With the busy lifestyle of Singaporeans, eating out at hawkers centres is always an irresistible option as it is convenient, affordable and delicious.

However is this worth the price of clogging your arteries?

Is hawker food worth the price of clogged arteries?

Ever heard of the saying “Eat like the French”?

The French serve meals in courses, vegetables first. Their petite meal portions explain why they have the lowest obesity rate in Europe. Perhaps Singaporeans can take a leaf out of other cultures’ books and adopt healthier eating habits in hawker centres with food portioning.

These health concerns have not gone unnoticed.

The Health Promotion Board has implemented campaigns for healthier choices in hawker centres but this was limited to only 16 out of over 100 hawker centres, for example Yuhua Hawker Centre, Eunos Crescent Market and Food Centre, Clementi Food Centre, to name a few. Healthier options require hawkers to prepare food with less salt and

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Hygiene: Perception vs Reality ESSAY BY HAN LI LI PHOTOGRAPHY BY HAN LI LI & JOLYN KANG

Hygiene is what we perceive it to be — whether a certain environment is clean or dirty differs from person to person. It is something we recognise and become consciously aware of, it is also something we interpret or imagine in our own view and perspective.

hygiene, why is it still allowed to operate and serve food at the hawker centre? What impact does this grading system have on hygiene standards, since it does not affect business either way?

Facilities and amenities in hawker centres could be another contributing factor to why people perceive hawker centres as unhygienic. Some hawker centre toilets are outrageously revolting and unsightly. Are the toilets being taken care of despite the small entrance fee paid to use them? People go to the toilets to clean their hands and tidy themselves, yet they are in such a bad state. An article from The New Paper shared a confession from a food centre cleaner saying, “Most of the hawkers are always in a rush so the utensils are never washed properly.”

So, what is the perception of hygiene held by most people about hawker centres? How does this vary from person to person? What are the factors contributing to how someone would perceive hygiene?

Some view hawker centres as dirty and unhygienic, based on litter on the floor or odours in the air. But this is not an accurate perception as opinions and thoughts change from person to person, depending on how sensory information is identified, organised, interpreted by the individual. This process involves both senses and the mind.

Now, here is another hygiene issue — the job of cleaners at hawker centres is to clean tables and return utensils and tableware back to the stalls.

It is the responsibility of hawkers to clean and wash them. Clearly, the cleaning of utensils and tableware is another issue. People are also grossed out by the way cleaners clean and clear the tables.

The cloth used and the trolley in which the utensils and tableware are placed on are highly noticeable makers of hygiene standards.

Some view hygiene in terms of the whole outlook of hawker centres, while others evaluate the procedures of cleaning and food handling in the kitchens. Generally speaking, females tend to have a stronger and more sensitive view on hygiene whereas older folks tend to be fine with how hawker centres are — because they’ve probably seen worse in the past and in comparison, hawker centres have improved tremendously.

A final factor contributing to why people perceive hawker centres as unhygienic could be the open environment — birds pecking on leftover food, tables left uncleared for a long time, litter and rubbish all over the floor. Hawker centres are not air-conditioned, thus they are more prone to external threats such as birds and pests, traffic exhaust and dirt. Could scenic views of nature be a way to divert or reduce the perception of lack of hygiene at hawker centres? For example, does East Coast Lagoon Food Village seem cleaner than Marine Parade Hawker Centre? Could better lighting create an awareness of the surrounding and environment, enabling cleanliness to be taken more seriously to improve hygiene?

Kitchen hygiene has been addressed many times and is a factor that could contribute to how people perceive hygiene in hawker centres. There are regulations and guidelines set out for hawkers to maintain and improve hygiene. For example, working on personal hygiene by washing hands thoroughly, wearing clean aprons and clothes while preparing food, using disposable gloves, not picking the nose when handling food and so on.

Other hygiene guidelines include proper usage of chopping boards and kitchen equipment and proper handling of foods such as vegetables and raw meat.

How can we change the perception of hygiene people have about hawker centres? Maybe create a set of creatives to address the concerns of hygiene? Assure people to frequent hawker centres? Aid cleaners to be more efficient and pleasant in clearing tables? This, together with concrete actions to tackle the contributing factors to perceived hygiene, could change hawker centres towards the ideal.

These aspects are outright observable. Thus, people can perceive and evaluate the hygiene standard of a stall from a distance. Despite the prominence of food hygiene, users tend not to care about how food is prepared until they get food poisoning. Why would I say that? People are actually aware of the NEA (National Environment Agency) hygiene grading system, but how many of them actually bother to check these grades before patronising a stall? Besides, if a stall scores low on

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Food as Lifestyle ESSAY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACQUELINE PHUA

Food is fundamental for life. Our eating habits have become incredibly complex, involving many aspects beyond addressing our physiological and nutritional needs. What are the triggers or prompts that cause eating behaviour?

than twenty years offering authentic ‘tau huey’, Taiwanese snacks and favourites such as ‘xiao long bao’ and ‘tea egg’. Another example would be Punggol Nasi Lemak where we can see long queues from day to night. People are willing to wait even longer if the queue grows behind them, because it confirms that they are making the right decision.

As food is a local obsession, there are strong social norms and it has become more of a necessity to queue for foods that meet our expectations and taste buds.

Our choices in food reflect our lifestyle. The consumption of convenience food has not only risen, the demand for healthier ingredients in these foods has escalated too. Individuals living busy lives are often stressed out, not able to have dine-in meals. They’re constantly over-worked, sleepdeprived, budget-challenged and time-starved.

Their busy schedules forbid them to prepare their own healthy meals. It is easier for them to always eat out, have a quick, cheap burger, sometimes skipping important meals altogether. Catering to hectic lifestyles, fast food restaurants provide affordable and convenient super-sized meals.

Consumers are constantly over-worked, sleep-deprived, budget-challenged and time-starved

Besides fast food, convenience foods such as meal replacement products are manufactured and available in the form of powders, drinks and bars. Meal replacement products, which come in different sizes and keep you energetic all day, are popular among busy consumers who do not have time for proper meals. Meal replacement bars offer a blend of convenience, indulgence and health to certain target groups. A range of bars are available to suit any demographic, need or occasion: organic, slimming, meal replacement, ‘on-the-go’, ‘beautyfrom-within’ and even gender-specific bars.

Hawker centres offer a variety of delicious delicacies which gives consumers a broad range of food choice, but how can hawker centre food be as convenient and accessible as fast food to reach out to busy people? For instance, with a service centred around convenience such as delivery, people can relish the taste of hawker food within the four walls of their workplaces by simply ordering their favourite food. People are busier than ever and that leaves little or no time for them to get out there, but with hawker food delivery, they may find it time-saving and stress-free. By offering a delivery service from hawker centres, the wide range of delicious hawker food will become more available and accessible.

A big part of the Singaporean lifestyle is reflected in our food choices and places to eat. During lunch, some people may opt for fast food as it is convenient. Singapore’s fast pace means that fast food outlets here never suffer from a lack of business. Our eating choices also depend on affordability and accessibility. For example, people with more limited income, such as students, would probably choose to eat in hawker centres instead of fine dining restaurants, as oppose to working adults with higher spending power.

Singaporeans’ taste buds are definitely willing to go the distance for good food. We see this from long queues at famous stalls that many people are willing to travel across the island just to join, the rationale being that the longer the queue, the better the food. One example would be Yong He Eating House in Geylang with a history of more

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Final Year Projects

SINGAPORE SCENT LIBRARY

‘CH O

WKER DE ’ HA LI PE

RY VE

80

LUNCH ORDERING SERVICE

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#mymakanspot FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY JOLYN KANG

#mymakanspot is a campaign designed to change youth’s perception of hawker centres.

Youths can receive bragging rights from uploading these images as it is a new experience. They will be seen as trendsetters in their respective social circles, enticing others to go to hawker centres. This will help hawker centres become more trendy as an option for social dining among youths.

This campaign makes use of anamorphic illusions to enhance the photo-taking experience within hawker centres so that youths will be enticed to upload images of hawker food to social media with the hashtag “#mymakanspot”. With the participation of youths in the online publicity of hawker centres, hawker centres will gain a stronger online presence, transforming them to up-to-date dining venues.

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Hawker Adventures FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY NICOLE BERNADETTE LOW

Hawker Adventures is an experience journey targeted at tourists who want a taste, figuratively and metaphorically, of Singapore’s local culture.

Unlike journeys which start only upon arrival at the destination, this journey begins before the tourist’s arrival in Singapore. Experience touchpoints are designed for the journey to continue and even extend beyond their stay here.

Armed with a Hawker Adventures passport, the tourist takes on the role of an Adventurer given the mission to try as many hawker dishes as possible.

For each dish tried, they are rewarded with a unique hawker stamp in their passport. Five stamps entitle the Adventurer to a badge featuring the iconic features of that hawker centre.

Adventurers not only bring back the experience of hawker centres, their passport and badges serve as souvenirs which preserve and trigger memories of their own hawker adventures.

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Singapore Scent Library FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY DUAN MENGXI

Singapore Scent Library is a souvenir representing Singapore’s unique hawker culture. The three iconic Singapore dishes featured are: laksa, curry chicken and bak kut teh.

This experience is enhanced with a detailed introduction to Singapore’s food culture.

Singapore Scent Library engages users with full sensory immersion, leading them to know more about Singapore food culture and hawker centres.

Scent can induce memory and emotion, leading to higher levels of engagement. By designing a new olfactory experience for hawker centres, Singapore food culture can be introduced to more foreigners.

The scent is delivered by a food graphic keychain.

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Uniquely Hawker Masters FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY JOLIN NAI

ters Mas er

It is ti me t

ate our Ha r b e wk el c o

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s to

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UNIQUELY HAWKER MASTERS Th e ir life. Th

Uniquely Hawker Masters is a mobile application for youths to search, locate and appreciate Singapore’s Hawker Masters.

e ir

Uniquely Hawker Masters reaches out to youths using posters located around hawker centres. Users scan QR codes to download the application. Using the application, they are able to locate Hawker Masters around them. Upon activation, a short animation about the Hawker Master’s journey to success will be played. Users can also check in and exchange notes on their Hawker Master experiences.

The journeys of Hawker Masters, with their ups and downs, are depicted using graphic animations.

A fun and interactive experience is designed for youths to understand the passion and dedication of Hawker Masters, allowing them to savour the culture behind the cuisine.

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Joy FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY TAN ZU YI STEFANIE

Joy is a divider that enables users to share their food with family and friends.

Users just have to place the dividers on the plate by cutting through the food. This allows people to have a fair share of food and at the same time provides a solution for those who are salivary conscious.

It is a detachable divider that enables users to divide their food into two, to share between two friends; or four, for groups. By requesting “to share� on top of your orders, dividers in a set of two will be given out to users.

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TakeAway FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY DZULKANEAN ALI

TakeAway is a campaign aimed at patrons of hawker centers to promote inter-racial understanding and harmony through appreciating each other’s food culture. This campaign leverages on the contribution by various races to Singapore’s rich culture, and Singaporeans’ shared passion for food.

Using takeaway packaging as the medium, cultural patterns and fun cultural food facts are introduced to spark users’ curiosity. Interacting with redesigned takeaway packaging, users learn new food facts from another culture and begin to understand and appreciate our multi-cultural food heritage.

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80-20 Healthy Hawker FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY THET NGON PHU LWIN

80-20 Healthy Hawker is an educational campaign about healthy food portioning through the 80-20 method. It introduces and promotes food portioning to tackle the issue of chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes arising from eating out too often at hawker centres.

To encourage practice and integration into daily life, the user experience is supported by virtual and physical components (campaign website and dinnerware respectively). The desired outcome is to make Singaporeans more aware of their eating habits and how something as simple the 80-20 rule can bring them plenty of health benefits.

Users will learn about the difference between a healthy portion and what they are accustomed to having at hawker centres. The dinnerware will have markings to remind consumers to eat with discipline.

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The Little Tray FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY HAN LI LI

The Little Tray is conceived as a way to facilitate and help improve the hygiene and cleanliness of hawker centres.

to keep hawker centres clean by using the tray, feeling the need to use it to help control mess and cleanliness but also creating a new eating experience at hawker centres.

The Little Tray is designed to be smaller than average to encourage the consumption of hawker food on the tray so as not to dirty the table or the area outside it. The tray would allow space for practising social responsibility and ownership to clean up after oneself. Patrons of hawker centres would be able to feel a sense of responsibility

The desired outcome is for The Little Tray to be part of the movement to improve the perceived hygiene of hawker centres.

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‘Chope’ Hawker Delivery FINAL YEAR PROJECT BY JACQUELINE PHUA

‘Chope’ Hawker Delivery aims to alleviate lunch crowds through a new ordering system which delivers the hawker centre experience to busy working adults.

11 am will be delivered at 2 pm. This system serves offices and homes near each hawker centre.

With this delivery service, customers can relish the taste of hawker food in the air-conditioned comfort of their offices or homes, with hawker food made more accessible to all.

Leveraging on technology, this ordering system enables users to save time, order conveniently, and enjoy meals in the comfort of their own environment. Customers place their lunch orders through a mobile application before 11 am for food to be delivered by 12 noon. Orders after

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAN ZU YI STEFANIE

MAKAN EXPERIENCE PROJECT LEADERS

DESIGNERS

Winston Chai Course Manager Diploma in Experience and Product Design Head of Design Facility Ong Kok Kiong Adjunct Lecturer Design Director KKO: Brand Strategy & Design

Jolyn Kang Nicole Bernadette Low Duan Mengxi Jolin Nai Tan Zu Yi Stefanie Dzulkanean Ali Thet Ngon Phu Lwin Han Li Li Jacqueline Phua

PUBLICATION TEAM

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Jolyn Kang Lead Designer

We would like to express our gratitude to National Environment Agency (NEA) for this successful collaboration. A big shout-out goes to Amanda Go, Yuen Pak Yew, Alvin Choo, Sabrina Foong and Chua Shuh Li for their time, effort and commitment. Thank you for your valuable support, insights and feedback!

Nicole Bernadette Low Designer Thet Ngon Phu Lwin Designer

MAKAN EXPERIENCE Studio COVER DESIGN Ideation by Thet Ngon Phu Lwin Illustrations by Tan Zu Yi Stefanie

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