Under The Angsana Tree: Singapore hawker culture to be nominated for Unesco listing

Patrons at Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre, one of about 110 hawker centres here. Hawker culture was selected for nomination as it has shaped the Singaporean identity in many ways, say the organisations fronting the bid. ST FILE FOTO

Every day, more than 6,000 cooked food hawkers produce an assortment of mouth-watering dishes at about 110 hawker centres here.

Now, the island's rich hawker culture will be nominated for inscription into Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced yesterday.

If the bid is successful, Singapore's hawker culture will join the likes of Malaysia's Mak Yong theatre from Kelantan, Indonesia's batik and India's yoga on the world stage. Started in 2008, the list which has about 400 elements, sets out to demonstrate the diversity of world heritage & ensure its protection.

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Unesco nod for hawker food? Not so fast, Malaysians tell Singapore

A man grills satay at the Penang International Food Festival in George Town April 15, 2017. ― Picture by KE Ooi

Malaysians have come out guns blazing against Singapore’s bid to stake a claim on street food common to both countries and for Unesco to recognise the latter’s hawkers as an “intangible cultural heritage”.

Ostensibly Malaysian critics have been bashing their island neighbour’s plan, deriding Singaporean hawkers and their fare as watered-down versions of their Malaysian counterparts.

In a report by New York Times, Malaysian foodies were quoted as suggesting that Singapore’s hawkers were too sanitised to be able to truly compete with the grittier and allegedly better-tasting Malaysian iterations.

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Singapore 'arrogant' to nominate hawker culture for Unesco listing: Malaysian chef

Malaysian chefs are “frying” Singapore’s bid to nominate its hawker culture for Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

While every country has its own unique street food identity, the move by Singapore suggested a lack of confidence and “arrogant behaviour” from the city state, said celebrity chef Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan.

“People who lack confidence in their food will go all out to do these things for recognition,” he said.

“It’s not necessary to announce to the world that you have this or that. By taking this route, it’s a bit of arrogant behaviour.”

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Malaysians comment on Singapore’s decision to nominate hawker culture for Unesco listing – here’s what they have to say

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his speech at the National Day Rally on Sunday (August 19) that the country’s hawker culture will be nominated for inscription into Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

He said they are Singapore’s “community dining rooms” and are a unique part of the country’s heritage and identity.

But Malaysians have taken to social media to have their say. Some said that hawker centres, and the popular food stalls sited in them, are not exclusive to Singapore.

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Singapore's bid for UNESCO hawker food listing eats at neighbours

Hawker centres remain hugely popular in Singapore, which is trying to secure them UNESCO recognition [Tom Benner/Al Jazeera]

Singapore's street foods are largely the same as those found in neighbouring Malaysia - both share a long history under British rule and briefly merged until Singapore's expulsion in August 1965 - and in Indonesia. An apt example is a popular dish called rojak, a traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish that means "mixture" or "eclectic mix" in the Malay language. Even Singapore's national dish, Hainanese chicken rice, was brought by immigrants from the Hainan province in southern China.

Yet Singapore is making a bid for a unique distinction among Asian street food traditions. As its neighbours and food critics scoff, the city-state is preparing a petition for UNESCO recognition of its hawker culture, and a listing on the UN body's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

If the bid is successful, it will be Singapore's second listing after the Botanic Gardens, which were named a World Heritage site alongside Cambodia's Angkor Wat and the Great Wall of China in 2015.

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“Smart Nation” hawker centres

In April this year, one of the “Smart Nation” hawker centres, Yishun Park, saw 8 hawker stall owners quitting the social enterprise in less than six months after setting up

The Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) yesterday (Nov 16) announced that the government will be giving a generous 50% subsidies for cleaning fees to hawker stall owners next year in 2019, and a 30% subsidies in 2020.

From 2019, hawker stall owners at one of the “Smart Nation” hawker centres, Tampines Hub, will get a government funding of S$350 monthly, or half the amount of the cleaning charges. The subsidies will wean off to S$210 monthly in 2020.

The bailout came after “Smart Nation” hawker centres, also known as “social enterprise”, see diving profits as Singaporeans boycott the hawker centres for “Smart Nation” initiatives like a mandatory tray-return deposit. Hawker stall owners at the “Smart Nation” food centres start leaving in droves due to very poor crowd response.

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Hawker culture – can eat one or not?

I hope that Singapore’s bid to include hawker culture into the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List fails. There, I said it

Before anyone calls me unpatriotic, hear me out. Hawker culture is nothing new or even unique to Singapore. Cities like Penang, Malacca, Taipei also have it. What’s so special about Singapore’s hawker culture? The bid by Singapore is just to lay claim to the title. And the ugly truth of adding this title under our belt is nothing more than to attract tourism dollars.

In fact, ask the man on the street to find out how supportive or interested he is in our bid to include hawker culture into UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List. While at it, why not ask the hawkers themselves? I suspect there wouldn’t be many supporters. Many of us probably feel and know that Malaysia’s hawker culture is more ‘authentic’.

The hawker culture in Singapore has been given a makeover to be housed in an aircon environment, with robot tray collectors, exploited hawkers, overworked cleaning aunties and uncles. These are run by ‘social enterprises’ who are nothing more than conglomerates out to earn every tourist dollar. Compare that with the true hawkers dishing out wok fried char kway teow out of a push cart on a street. That, to me, is the true hawker culture - cheap, good and authentic.

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Singapore to nominate hawker culture as ‘intangible cultural heritage’ for UNESCO listing

Hawker culture will be nominated by Singapore for a possible listing on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Sunday (Aug 19) in his National Day Rally speech.

The list, which was developed in 2008, is made up of intangible cultural heritage elements from different countries that showcase the diversity of such things from around the world. This is with the aim of increasing their visibility and raising awareness about their importance so they can be safeguarded.

Speaking at the Institute of Technical Education College Central at Ang Mo Kio, PM Lee described hawker culture as a “cultural institution” that is a unique part of Singapore’s heritage and identity. “Hawker centres are our community dining rooms,” said Mr Lee in his Chinese speech, noting how Singaporeans of all races, faiths and income groups are able to eat together in hawker centres.

related: UNESCO listing may lift hawker culture but saving it is a different challenge

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Fleshing out Singapore's bid for Unesco recognition of hawker culture

The committee will also offer "ideas to strengthen Singaporeans' pride and love for hawker culture" and encourage the community to support the nomination. ST FOTO: SYAMIL SAPARI

A 14-member committee has been set up to oversee & guide Singapore's effort to nominate its hawker culture for Unesco's list of intangible cultural heritage.

The committee is co-chaired by National Heritage Board (NHB) chief executive Chang Hwee Nee, National Environment Agency chief executive officer Tan Meng Dui, & Federation of Merchants' Associations president Yeo Hiang Meng, said the 3 organisations in a joint statement yesterday.

Members of the committee, who are from the public and private sectors, will provide recommendations, feedback and advice on the nomination documents for submission to Unesco in March next year, said the statement.

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Singapore plans to get hawker culture officially recognized in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

Aside from complaining about the weather and/or the government, another Singaporean hobby involves talking up the local food culture (the late Anthony Bourdain could have testified to that). Yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong elevated the love for homegrown cuisine to the echelons of the world stage by announcing that our beloved hawker culture will be nominated to be included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

During his Mandarin speech in the National Day Rally last night, PM Lee brought up how hawker centers are a “cultural institution” and how the “community dining rooms” are a unique part of the nation’s heritage and identity.

“Every time we hold ‘Singapore Day’ in other cities, hawker food always attracts a large number of homesick Singaporeans,” he mentioned, highlighting how it’s the “best cure for homesickness”.

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OUR HAWKER CENTRES - A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CULTURAL ICON

A blessed and delicious 2012 to all of you and I think, now, more so than ever, is a good time to digest this fodder for thought. Think about this, all the prerequisites are there, and within our community, it is a cultural icon that touches our fuzzy and warm hearts. To those who love their local chow and poetry, you can joke that it also warms the cockles of your heart. So why should we not place our distinct local food culture as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural icon.

To begin, it’s inspirational and not replaceable. It’s a culture that came from and belong to the people of the world, because of our migrant culture, and is a living heritage. It’s a heritage we inherited from the past, is living with today and will pass on to the next generation, (unless we let it fester away). We have been actively seeking ways to protect and preserve this cultural force in so many ways. These are the key factors when UNESCO considers any application. Sure, we as usual, may get a chest thumping lashing from our passionate northern neighbours as we share common heritage if we proceed. But there is one distinct difference in our approach- we have a glue called hawker centres that binds it all. It a physical structure that holds this force together. If food is a religion, this is its temple, church or mosque. Our hawker centres have a jolly tripartite relationship- built by the government, for the people and offers business opportunities for the industry. Professor Tan Wee Cheng, an advocate for conservation and heritage lists six things he likes to see gazetted an UNESCO World Heritage Cultural icon in Singapore, three of them are about food - Yue Sheng raw fish salad, the yum-seng toast ritual and local makan. He runs a facebook page called UNESCO World Heritage Site for Singapore.

The naysayers will cock their heads in cynicism and question how a frivolous thing like laksa can be part of a world heritage icon, well, I suppose they’ll feel it’s as ridiculous as oil wrestling in Turkey, the scissors dance in Peru or even the annual bell ringers pageant carnival in Croatia. All three, btw, are protected and gazetted under the UNESCO World Heritage Organisation. They declared that the Bell Ringer’s Pageant with it’s “wanton destruction” potential, “ is a way to strengthen bonds within the community”. The only thing I associate with bell ringing is recess time and the best wanton I know, goes with noodles. The only scissors dance I fancy is my groove and wiggle of joy as I devour a plate of smooth and spicy scissor cut curry rice. And when had with pals or even strangers, it bonds us and make us ponder about the next better meal. And if they are still thinking how can a simple thing like pang Susie (Eurasian minced meat roti) be of any heritage potential, then also question why the French brie and baguette is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural treasure.

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UNESCO listing may lift hawker culture but saving it is a different challenge

Char siew - also known as barbequed pork - being sold at a hawker stall in Singapore

What do traditional Mexican cuisine, Croatian gingerbread-making and Korean traditional kimchi-making have in common?

If you guessed they’re the topics of expensive, popular cook books, I’m sure you’re probably right. But these three are items inscribed into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

UNESCO, also known as the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, is responsible for the World Heritage List, to which the Singapore Botanic Gardens was added in 2015, recognising natural & cultural sites of outstanding & universal value.

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Discussion about social enterprise hawker centres ‘useful’ to Singapore’s Unesco nomination for hawker culture

The Our SG Hawker Culture travelling exhibition will be showcased to 13 locations over the next 3 months, including Our Tampines Hub, Toa Payoh Hub, and Central Public Library

Weighing in on the controversy over hawker centres run by social enterprises, an official from the National Heritage Board (NHB) said it was “useful” that the public debate took place before Singapore nominates its hawker culture for inclusion in Unesco's intangible cultural heritage list.

Mr Alvin Tan, NHB's assistant chief executive of policy and community, said that the remedial actions & lessons learnt from an ongoing review of the management model will be incorporated into the country's Unesco submission. He was speaking to reporters on Thursday (Oct 25) at the unveiling of a travelling exhibition on Singapore's hawker culture, held at Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre.

Singapore has to submit the nomination bid to Unesco by March next year, with the results expected to be announced at the end of 2020. One of the 5 criteria that nominees have to fulfil for inclusion in the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is an encouragement of public dialogue, Mr Tan said.

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Grumbling and rumbling at social enterprise hawker centres — what’s the rub?

The Gift-A-Meal programme was launched at Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre on Saturday (Jul 14). (Foto: Vanessa Lim)

The natives are restless in Singapore’s much-cherished hawker landscape, with a litany of issues plaguing what is one of the country’s most important community spaces & social institutions.

Allegations of poor management practices as well as high rentals & auxiliary costs at social enterprise-run hawker centres have hogged the headlines in recent weeks, not long after it was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally that the Republic is eyeing a spot for its hawker culture on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In announcing the bid, Mr Lee emphasised the hawker centres’ special place in the Singaporean heart, on top of the important role which they play in keeping the cost of living low.

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NTUC Foodfare CEO Claims Social Enterprise Hawker Centres Remain An Affordable Option For Hawkers

There has been a lot of heat surrounding social enterprise-run hawker centres (SEHCs) in Singapore, which later sparked discussions of it killing our chances of winning the UNESCO nomination for Singapore’s much-celebrated hawker culture.

Firstly, for those unacquainted on what SEHCs are all about, here’s a quick background:

Hawker centres in Singapore were originally set up and run by the National Environment Agency (NEA)
In November 2011, a Public Consultation Panel on Hawker Centres was formed — it was chaired by 77th Street founder Elim Chew, and members included architects and top representatives from NTUC Foodfare, Koufu and the Hawkers’ Association
The panel submitted several recommendations, including the proposal to have hawker centres “operated on a not-for-profit basis by social enterprises or cooperatives”
Under this model, any operating surplus generated by a hawker centre must be shared among its stakeholders and it must also be used to create “social benefits”
The model of appointing socially conscious operators was introduced in 2015 with the completion of Ci Yuan Hawker Centre and Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre
Currently, 13 out of 114 hawker centres in Singapore are managed by five social enterprises: Fei Siong Food Management, NTUC Foodfare, Timbre Group, Hawker Management under Koufu, and OTMH under Kopitiam

On August 28, renowned local food critic and consultant KF Seetoh published a post on Makansutra, accusing these SEHCs of profiteering at the expense of hawkers and customers. Seetoh’s post flagged some concerns about the way these SEHCs are run, highlighting poor management practices as well as high rentals and auxiliary costs.

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Interview with NTUC Foodfare CEO on social enterprise hawker centres gets flak & taken down

As we know, hawker culture and the challenges hawkers are facing under new types of hawker centre configurations continues to be at the centre of significant online debate and concern.

Perhaps in view of this, on Monday, local website Vulcan Post conducted and published an interview with the CEO of NTUC Foodfare, one of the five social enterprises which are running social enterprise hawker centres. “There’s nothing stopping these hawkers to operate [sic] in the NEA hawker centres”.

In an article originally titled “NTUC Foodfare CEO:

‘If You Think SEHCs Are Not Good Enough, Go To NEA‘”

(which was later taken down), Vulcan Post ran an interview with NTUC Foodfare CEO Perry Ong, which included answers from him to questions that included allegations made against SEHCs like the ones run by Foodfare.

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8 famous street food stalls people love

Singapore's hawker culture will be nominated for inscription into Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 19). In his Mandarin speech at the National Day Rally, PM Lee described hawker centres as the nation's community dining rooms & a unique part of Singapore that "reflects our daily lives".

If successful, he said the Unesco inscription - which will be Singapore's 2nd after the Singapore Botanic Gardens was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2015 - will help to safeguard and promote hawker culture for future generations.

The Straits Times highlights 8 hawker stalls across Singapore that have been heralded as masters of the trade.

PIAO JI FISH PORRIDGE
YUAN CHUN FAMOUS LOR MEE
YE LAI XIANG HOT AND COLD CHENG TNG
RIYAN HIDAYAT SATAY SOLO NO. 31
ZHENG YI HAINANESE BEEF NOODLE
KOOTHURAR NASI BRIYANI
HARON SATAY
HASS BAWA MEE STALL

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Are Singapore’s Hawker Centres Dying Out?

PJ Thum speaks to hawkers at Chinatown Food Complex. New Naratif

Singapore’s hawker centres have been described as a “cultural institution”, a source of pride as much as a source of good eats.

Yet the hawker industry is in crisis today, with rents and overhead costs rising even as hawkers are pressured to keep their prices down.

In this episode, PJ Thum heads to Chinatown Food Complex to speak to three hawkers, Jialiang, Yu Ting and Uncle Arthur, about the difficulty of surviving, not as cultural symbols, but viable businesses.

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Full Coverage:

29/10/2018

Singapore hawker culture to be nominated for Unesco listing