Hawker centres

Street hawking in Singapore goes back to the 1800s, when migrants from China, India and the Malay world sold food from mobile kitchens, baskets and carts because it needed little capital. After the Second World War hawking grew further, and hygiene problems such as a lack of clean water and uncollected refuse became a concern for the authorities.

After independence the government licensed street hawkers and, between 1971 and 1986, moved around 18,000 of them into purpose-built markets and hawker centres with running water and proper drainage. Many centres were planned close to Housing Board estates so residents could walk or take a short bus ride to eat. Today there are more than 110 centres, and many hawkers still pass recipes and skills to family members or apprentices.

Lau Pa Sat, the former Telok Ayer Market, shows how far back this story goes. A market first stood here in 1823; the present octagonal building, designed by municipal engineer James MacRitchie with cast iron from the Walter MacFarlane foundry in Glasgow, was completed in 1894. It became a hawker centre in 1972, was gazetted a National Monument in 1973 and reopened after its latest major refurbishment in 2014. Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown began as a wet market in 1929 and was formally designated a food centre in 1987.

Hawker centres are where Singaporeans of every income and background eat side by side, often several times a week. Regulars have favourite stalls and are happy to queue for them; a long queue is usually a good sign. Muslim diners look for stalls displaying a MUIS halal certificate, and many centres have a cluster of halal Malay and Indian-Muslim stalls. Locals commonly reserve a seat by leaving a packet of tissues on the table, and it is expected that you return your tray and crockery to the marked return points when you finish.