e-Paper
There is ample evidence that residents in the neighbourhood are suffering withdrawal symptoms with the closure of the Ghim Moh Road Food Centre. It will be shuttered from March 1 to May 10 for renovation. That’s more than two months.
When I mentioned the hawker centre closure in a WhatsApp call to a former neighbour who migrated to the United Kingdom, he asked anxiously: “What are you going to do?” I ignorantly brushed it aside, saying: “There are many alternatives.”
I was so wrong. Nothing it seems can replace your favourite hawker centre – even temporarily.
The familiar faces that were always present at the hawker centre are now seen loitering about, often wearing sad expressions as they look at the closed locale.
After all, in December 2020, hawker culture in Singapore was officially added to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Even the United Nations acknowledged just how important these centres are to Singaporeans.
While there are options for affordable food, there are few alternatives for the folksy ambience of your regular hawker centre. Many of us have our favourite table when interacting with our “kakis” – a Singlish term, derived from a Malay word “kaki” for leg, that also means a close friend.
A poll by the National Environment Agency in 2018 found that 83 per cent of Singaporeans eat at hawker centres at least once a week. Since one-third of Singaporeans dine out more than seven times a week, that surely means multiple visits to hawker centres.
In a Perception Survey of Hawker Centre Patrons in 2019, an astounding 99 per cent of the 1,103 respondents said they were satisfied with the affordability of food options in hawker centres.
Then, shattering the common perception that hawker centres are generally hot and dirty, 87 per cent expressed satisfaction with their cleanliness, hygiene and ventilation.
Hawker centres have even become tourist attractions. Think of Newton hawker centre and Lau Pa Sat.
There is even a tour to explore – and taste – the many flavours of local hawker centres with an expert guide.
Tour promoters probably drew inspiration from retirees who occasionally venture to hawker centres outside their neighbourhood to try out a famous dish.
“With the MRT, even the nasi lemak at Changi Food Centre is easily accessible,” said a 70-year-old uncle, as retirees are affectionately known. “But I’m missing Ghim Moh hawker centre a lot.”
