Tradition
- hawkerculture
- Nov 2, 2015
- 3 min read
Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It's not about nutrients and calories. It's about sharing. It's about honesty. It's about identity. – Louise Fresco
The hawker culture in Singapore is in danger of being in a decline as increasingly more young people are diverting away from the trade. The improved social mobility with better education and a more ambitious outlook towards life contribute to the reasons to why the younger generation is not interested in partaking the hawker life. Mdm Chen, owner of Piao Xiang Vegetarian stall, hoped that she is able to pass on her stall to daughter. However, she has difficulties getting her son to get on board the trade. ‘At the start he doesn’t want. He’s afraid that he does not have the energy because he’s young,’ she explained.
Last time I got many customers there. But my house is near here so I set up my stall here. The rent at the coffeeshop keep raising. My contract is going to end in June so I going to sign the contract again in June and start all over again.
For that reason too that Mdm Chen decided to sign the contract for her stall for only a year instead of the typical three-year period. She is afraid that she is not able to cope due to her age and frailness. ‘I set up my stall here my children can come and see me as well,’ she said, explaining that in case anything happens, her children can get to her easily.
They will feedback and retaliate. When I took up this stall then the boss say cannot sell too expensive. Need to have at least food that are $2.50 or $2.80.
There is no surprise in why Mdm Chen is in this line of selling food in a hawker centre. Her father was from this line as well, selling Teochew porridge and hor fun along the streets. ‘I started helping my dad when I was 10 years old. I helped my dad to do his business because I didn’t have education,’ she said. The tradition of being in the hawker business was passed down from one generation to another and Mdm Chen hopes to be able to pass down her stall to either her daughter or son. This not only keep the tradition alive, but her intention could prevent the definite doom of the hawker culture here.
If you sell more expensive then the customers will not want to come then you will earn lesser. People like it cheap. If expensive then nobody will want to eat.
Mdm Chen gave off a really warm and friendly vibe which was very infectious. There is no wonder then that she had a pool of loyal customers when she was selling at a coffeeshop, before moving to the new hawker centre when she currently is. ‘I feel a bit pitiful because I have been there for like 10 years plus already, I have a lot of customers there,’ she said, attributing the incessant increase in rent to her leaving. Despite not having the best business at the new hawker centre, Mdm Chen continues to cook her heart out and we are pretty sure her vegetarian dishes remain to be great as they used to be.
I earn lesser then I also don’t hire labour. If not not waste it. Cannot earn enough to pay the labour. So if the people working are my relatives like my brother than I can just pay him abit of money.
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