Singapore Hawker Centres: People, Places, Food
Publication Type
Book
Publication Date
1-2007
Abstract
As Singapore has prospered, so have its streetside hawkers. Today, your typical refurbished hawker food centres are multi-million-dollar affairs, such as the Adam Food Centre, renovated in 2001 for $1.74 million, or Newton Circus, reopened in 2006 after a $4.8m makeover. And so comes Singapore Hawker Centres, a coffee-table book encapsulating these 'people, places and food' that's heavy on trivia and light on criticism. This commission by the National Environment Agency, the governing body of hawker centres, comes at a time when the high-maintenance food court has mushroomed, overtaking its non-air-conditioned sibling in efficiency and convenience. There are numerous interviews and case studies of nuclear families, first- and second-generation hawkers, geriatric table cleaners and entrepreneurial hawkers such as Ya Kun Kaya Toast from the 1960s, culminating with the conclusion that modernization and progress are inevitable. Soon, even hawker centres could become multidisciplinary venues that incorporate exhibition spaces and meeting halls. Photos accompany the stories, and a very clear message runs through the book: family bonding over food is important.
Keywords
Peddlers and peddling, Food habits, Singapore, Social life and customs
Discipline
Asian Studies | Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Place and Environment | Urban Studies
Research Areas
Humanities
First Page
1
Last Page
176
ISBN
9789812481498
Publisher
National Environment Agency
City or Country
Singapore
Embargo Period
1-17-2016
Citation
Kong, Lily. (2007). Singapore Hawker Centres: People, Places, Food. Singapore: National Environment Agency.
Kong, Lily, "Singapore Hawker Centres: People, Places, Food" (2007). Research Collection School of Social Sciences. Paper 1867.
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1867
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1867
Additional URL
https://worldcat.org/isbn/9789812481498
Comments
Available in SMU Libraries