What and where are we eating?

 

At hawker stands!

 

A hawker center is the name given to an open-air complex that has several small booths or hawker stands that sell a variety of inexpensive food.  

Each dish is made to order, so it arrives hot and is delicious.  You can add additional peppers or spices if you like it hot.

 

 

Hawker centers sprung up in urban areas in the 1950s and 1960s and were considered a venue for the less affluent.  They were primarily built to reduce the unhygienic food preparation by unlicensed street hawkers.  

Over the years, hygiene standards have vastly improved and the food stall operators are given cleanliness grades (A,B,C) by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to help customers make an informed choice.

Today the hawker stalls are becoming mainstream and are popping up in food courts in shopping malls.  They are still independently owned by the family - no McDonald's or Burger King in these food centers.

 

All meals are served with rice or noodles.  They predominately serve pork, chicken, and fish.  And eggs, lots of eggs.  Beef is not very popular here.  

 

The one below has dried fish on the top - I think this is an acquired taste.  Luckily I tasted it before I mixed it in the soup. 
 

 

 

Oh and the very best part of the hawker stands is they are CHEAP!  We have never paid over 5 Singaporean dollars ($3.85 USD) for these meals.

 

 

The restaurant in the photo below is one step up from a hawker stand. They seat you and take your order, but it is still very casual.  This one was located in the part of Singapore they call Chinatown.

 

This restaurant served chicken only and you could have it on noodles or rice.  Look at that beautiful crispy skin.

 

 

We picked noodles.  This meal was twice the price of the hawker stands, 9 SD ($7 USD).  The owner told us they have been in business since 1963!  It was very good.

 

 

 

 

If you want to see what a rambutan is - hop over to my art blog, ma vie trouvee.

 

Comments

[Kia]

Thanks for sharing your adventure in Singapore :) what a beautiful place it must be! Before moving to Scotland we were supposed to spend a few months there (for hubby's work), but we never did.

[Kathy]

That food looks wonderful!! I would want to taste everything. I'm guessing there is a special technique to eating the noodles with that spoon, though

[Carla S]

Oh, Cathy, you brought back such great memories! I've never been to Singapore, but a few years ago went to Hong Kong, and you find exactly the same sort of stalls there! Such yummy food we had!
And reading from your list on the other post, you're right, nothing like the service in Asia.
Enjoy it - you are very lucky!