Not for Sale Sing ap ore’s Remaini ng Stre e t Fo o d Vend ors
SINMA DASHOW
NOT FOR SALE JIMORCA
Not For Sale - Singapore’s Remaining Heritage Street Food Vendors Interviews & transcript by Jernnine Pang Photography by JimOrca
Contents Foreword 10 Introduction 12
No Regrets 18
Fables & Tales 70
L.O.V.E. 116
Guardian Angel 166 Superhero 256
Notes 324
Index 326 Acknowledgements 334
Foreword
Singapore hawker food is an integral part of our national identity. It binds Singaporeans from all walks of life and provides shared memories and experiences across generations. Singaporeans who are overseas consistently list our hawker food as the main thing they miss from home, whether it is a plate of fragrant chicken rice, crispy roti prata or a few sticks of succulent satay. Hawker food reflects our diverse and colourful heritage. Even tourists come from near and far to try our unique offerings. Thanks to the availability, affordability, variety and convenience of hawker food, most Singaporeans eat well. It has been said that one needs to eat well to live well and thus, it can be argued that our hawker food, in its own way, makes important contributions to our nation building, feeding not only stomachs but also our souls. Over the years, our hawker food has evolved from its humble beginnings as street food and made its way into our hawker centres, coffee shops, food courts and even menus of five-star restaurants. We must be proactive in preserving, protecting and promoting our local food culture. This book seeks to record and celebrate hawkers and stalls with the longest history and heritage, and accord them with recognition and the status of national heritage food. This is indeed a worthy project, highlighting valuable work in an area close to all our hearts.
8
forewOrd
The hawker’s life is a hard one but many do it with passion. To them, it is not just a livelihood, but a piece of art. We need to recognise and respect the dedication of these artisan hawkers. Only then will younger people be motivated and aspire to join this trade. In addition, local food stalls which have been around for generations and have heritage value should be allowed to continue cooking in traditional ways and be given assistance to help them carry on their trade. The hawker centre is an important common space. People from all walks of life go to hawker centres to enjoy a meal and the company of others. The vibrant atmosphere adds to the senses and flavours of the eating experience. The recent decision to allow social enterprises to run our hawker centres helps ensure that hawker food remains affordable. I hope you enjoy reading the stories represented in this book, which capture an important part of Singapore’s history and heritage. Let us all do our part and continue to support our local hawkers and hawker food. Patronise hawkers, respect the trade, and of course, recommend good food through word of mouth! Baey Yam Keng Chairman, Government Parliamentary Committee for Culture, Community & Youth MP for Tampines GRC
foreword
9
Introduction
The journey of documenting our adored heritage street food vendors is part of a private odyssey for the three of us - local “lads” who, having lived overseas, returned to find the vast changes going on at home. There was a real disconcerting sense that we could be losing what a generation took to build, a fear that we were selling out our heritage unknowingly in the name of progress...without even a deserving archive or documentation of the craft and trade we call our hawker food.
“
THE DAYS WE SPENT WITH OUR HAWKERS LEFT US WITH A PROFOUND IMPRINT OF THE PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT MAKE UP OUR LOCAL FOOD CULTURE AND ITS FAST CHANGING LANDSCAPE
”
These food centres are more than just places to eat, they are also where stallkeepers, patrons and neighbours, participate in casual chit-chat; where people come to greet and meet others from the community. These are where the very threads of our social fabric are weaved every day. We found about 300 stalls in our list of heritage hawkers; every one of them has its own narrative, each unique and each with its own set of challenges, circumstances and accomplishments. And because - in almost every instance - the proprietor is the craftsman and stallkeeper; what they do goes beyond a mere means of livelihood. It’s where they grew up, learned and practised their craft - and raised their families. Our hawker heroes, with their own firmly held values, work ethics and personalities, turned their stalls into living entities. They became long-serving members of their community. And all of them told us how proud they were serving their pool of customers from one generation to the next. It is no overstatement that this generation of street food uncles and aunties is an institution. Not just on a personal level to the Singaporeans who grew up on their food but also for the role they played in shaping our collective food heritage – one unlikely to be replicated anywhere else in the world. In the first chapter, we explore the reality and challenges of a craft under threat. So we begin with a look at hawkers who are no longer in the trade or are facing dire prospects in finding their successors. Their craft and skills, built over a lifetime, are threatened by extinction and survival solely dependent on the life expectancy of the craftsmen… or, if they’re fortunate, the appearance of an apprentice heir. From there, we shift to a lighter note - and look at the different inspiring quotes and life values of our subjects. The stories we heard, their values and spirit shared are precious Singapore stories. Though their trade may be fast fading, their craft threatened, the ideals and values they represent belong to our generation. And should be passed on.
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introduction
We end off with a look at the oldest hawker heroes, whom are still active in their trade. They may be in their sunset years - and should rightfully be enjoying retirement - yet remain prime examples of how their relentless effort and spirit to ensure that Singaporeans are served good food endures. Most of the interviews were largely done in Mandarin or a Chinese dialect and we tried to keep their original meaning and intentions in our translation. We hope our book will generate dialogue on how we can help preserve our street food heritage and inspire the present and future cohort of hawkers - and their children and heirs apparent - to continue a family craft. In doing so, we hope to keep our shared heritage alive. We’re sure you will find your own familiar faces in this book and may it will bring back fond personal memories and satisfy the longing most grown-ups have to relive those first food experiences. This project has taken 900 days to complete and is our tribute to a generation of street food vendors all over Singapore; most of whom have served multiple generations of food-loving Singaporeans for at least 40 years. To all our culinary heroes, thank you for the food. And just like our childhood memories, our colourful street food culture is not for sale.
introduction
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Our Stories
“ 我 不 想 听 大 道 理 我 只 想 听 故 事
”
As children, we learned quickly that stories are our first doorways to a world of make-believe and fantasy. Oral, written, sung, illustrated, animated, print or online. Through these stories, we learned important values from the stories told within its tale. We understood them and kept them for when we grew up. And as adults, we understand and express who we are, aspire to what we want to be, and even shape what others think about us… all through stories. We become storytellers to entertain, mythologise or, simply, to share. Companies engage in storytelling, narrative spins and epic tales as marketing tools to sell more than just a product. There are obstacles, trials, tribulations, challenges, competition and quandaries. The eventual resolutions, compromises or consequences are ingrained in the storytelling process — a process in which heroes and heroines are born. Where children learn and adults are reminded that good always triumphs over evil. In the same way, our own stories are being created every day. Through conversations with ourselves, interactions with other people and increasingly over social networks. After we hear, or read, a true story, we carry that story inside of us. It becomes part of who we are. We retell it. And then we become part of the story. When we visited a food centre, met another hawker uncle, certain images and memories unconsciously come to mind. As we heard their stories, they became our stories, too. We realized we could no longer consider those who prepare and serve us our food the same way again. These stories are now alive in us… and in this book. Every image and photo in this book represents a stall and a family. One captured in a moment of time as stories unfolded, as change accelerated through our nation and lives inevitably changed. Each image is special and represents its own set of struggles, challenges and accomplishments.
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introduction
But every story is finite. They all have a beginning, middle and end. What is an end but inspiration for a new start. This is our shared narrative, as Singaporeans, as food lovers. Their stories and life values captured through these images and quotes will also become yours. With that in mind, we leave you to create your happy ending and to identify and discover your own meaning in the pages that follow.
introduction
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No Regrets
Save the hawker trade - HELP at the former Margaret Drive Food Centre
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No Regrets
Chapter 1 | Our subjects told us they have no regrets doing what they have done for most of their lives. These are the dedicated folks who gave a lifetime to their craft to serve generations of food-loving Singaporeans. Some have retired from the trade since we started our work. Most stalls are almost certain of vanishing altogether with their owner’s age. And far be it for us to consider this chapter an eulogy of their life’s work, let it stand as a record of the history they created.
No Eulogy is due to him who simply does his duty and nothing more Saint Augustine
No Regrets
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开 始
｜ 九 百 天 的 人 事 物
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No Regrets
Popiah | First day in business 1 May 1961 at 10 cents a piece |
| Ten Blunt Knives
“I just focus on popiah. It’s better to have one sharp knife than ten blunt knives” Lem Tian Choo with customers (names unknown)
五月一日，一九六一年是 我第一天入行 。十把钝 刀也没有一把锋利的刀有 用。
No Regrets
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The man who is as honest and passionate about his food as his music
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No Regrets
Satay Bee Hoon | Started by his father after the British withdrawal from Singapore | A father’s gift when the he was about 10 introduced him and his younger brother to a world of music |
| Giftings
“I have no regrets at all. This job has also allowed me the spare time to pursue my interest in music” Ng Siaw Meng (Brother Ng Hiok Meng not around for shoot)
No Regrets
33
熟 们 悉 这 的 里 阿 只 婆 认 ，人
去 餐 馆 吃 大 餐 不 只 认 认 招 招 牌 牌 。 ，
心 就 暖 暖 的 。见 在 到 我
人 来 就 好
AU NT IE Often it is just a face you recognise. A shop with not even a name. She was someone you knew merely as “Auntie”.
Street food vendor by her stall at the Jalan Batu Food Centre
Wanton noodle | Started out selling in their kampung along Somapah Road | “We believe in keeping to the traditional taste of our food or else it is pointless to tell others we have been in the trade for decades” Tan Lee Hoon with daughter Sim Guak Ko (left)
好小贩是很费时费力的， 首先一定要过得了自己的 那一关。
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No Regrets
| Taste to Preserve
Nasi bryani | Came from India with his father at the age of 10 and started by helping out at family food stall by the riverside in Tanjung Rhu |
| Indian Food
“My father was a food vendor in India and so as a son I could only follow in his footsteps� Ansari s/o AB Samed with wife Rameesabeevi
No Regrets
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SU RV IV OR
Women of strength and virtue are an inspiration to meet. By sheer resilience and unwavering dedication they showed us how to live, love and serve. For all of life’s challenges, they are more than survivors, they are the fearless heroines of our generation.
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Superhero
生 英 活 雄 低 不 的 只 她 活 们 在 是 小 属 说 于 电 我 影 们 里 的 。 女 选 家 择 将 不 。向
Braised duck rice | Father came from China and started in the 1940s | “I started to help out when I was 13 with washing and clearing dishes. And during the second world war, my father were prohibited from selling food so together with my mother, we took over the business. I’ve been around the business for so long there’s no point stopping now and even though my son wants me to retire, I’m happier doing this” Ho Ng Mui (84) (II)
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Superhero
| Hanging Trophies
“We still make our own fishball” Eio Song Seng (62) (II)
“Rice is the key to good chicken rice” Jee Ah Mooi (91) (I)