Hawker Culture in Singapore

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. 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 . 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 05:20– Preconditions for hawking 07:11– Colonial records, and hygiene and urban discipline issues during colonial times 09:06 – Why hawking was an attractive and accessible job then 10:39– Challenges colonial authorities faced in controlling hawkers 11:47 – Post-independence reforms in hawking 14:25– Establishment of hawker centres and their purpose 15:47 – How rent subsidies keep hawker food affordable 17:43– Origins of the first hawker centre and differences from hawker shelters 20:12– Loss of food heritage 23:27– Gentrification in hawker centres 25:27– Hawking as a vocation in the past and today 27:44– Why Singapore’s hawker culture won the UNESCO recognition for intangible cultural heritage 30:04– Contemporary political use of hawker centres 31:51– What Ryan is working on and what his favourite hawker centre is 36:47 – Hawking is… Transcript Read the transcript : https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-hawker-culture-in-singapore-ryan-kueh/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore. This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast 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 Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Ryan for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.