Hawker Culture in Singapore
Coming in June
Hawkers traditionally sell their food on streets. Uniquely in Singapore
though, they ply their trade in fixed stalls in hawker centres. Ryan Kueh,
author of the bestselling From Streets to Stalls,
tells us how the hawker culture has evolved in Singapore since the
colonial period and what hawker centres have come to represent.
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What Ryan Talked About
00:00 – How the term “hawker” is understood differently in Singapore compared
to in other countries
04:44 – When hawking might have started in Singapore
05:32 – Preconditions for hawking
07:40 – Colonial records, and hygiene and urban discipline issues during
colonial times
09:56 – Why hawking was an attractive and accessible job then
11:00 – Challenges colonial authorities faced in controlling hawkers
11:49 – Post-independence reforms in hawking
14:00 – Establishment of hawker centres and their purpose
16:20 – How rent subsidies keep hawker food affordable
18:08 – Origins of the first hawker centre and differences from hawker
shelters
21:22 – Loss of food heritage
24:00 – Gentrification in hawker centres
26:00 – Hawking as a vocation in the past and today
30:10 – Why Singapore’s hawker culture won the UNESCO recognition for
intangible cultural heritage
31:15 – Contemporary political use of hawker centres
33:00 – What Ryan is working on and what his favourite hawker centre is
36:47 – Hawking is…
About the Guest
Ryan Kueh holds a master’s degree from Tsinghua University under the Schwarzman Scholars programme and completed his bachelor’s at Yale–NUS College, where he read philosophy, politics, economics and history. His key research focus is consumption culture and history, with a secondary interest in international affairs. He is the author of From Streets to Stalls: The History and Evolution of Hawking and Hawker Centres in Singapore.
Resources
Ryan Kueh, From Streets to Stalls: The History and Evolution of Hawking and Hawker Centres in Singapore (Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., 2024). (From National Library Singapore, call no. RSING 381.18095957 KUE)
Lily Kong, Singapore Hawker Centres: People, Places, Food, 2nd ed. (Singapore : National Environment Agency; National Heritage Board, 2023) (From National Library Singapore, call no. RSING 381.18095957 KON)
Lim Tin Seng, "Hawkers: From Public Nuisance to National Icons," BiblioAsia 9, no. 3 (October–December 2013).
Credits
This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Ryan for coming on the show.
About the Podcast
BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.