From Streets to Stalls: The History and Evolution of Hawking and Hawker Centres in Singapore

by Ryan Kueh

Singapore is renowned for the delightful cuisines that can be found in its hawker centres. Travellers herald from across the globe simply to taste dishes like chicken rice, laksa, and chilli crab. In 2020, 'Hawker Culture in Singapore' was selected to be on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a firm acknowledgement towards the impact and influence of hawking in Singapore's history. Less widely known is this—though now synonymous with Singaporean culture, the fate of hawking once hung in the balance.

From Streets to Stalls traces the longue-durée history of hawking in Singapore and how it has evolved. This book highlights the challenges hawkers had to overcome before achieving their celebrated status in Singapore and around the world. It also delves into the policies implemented to enact hawker reform and regulation, and explores how hawker centres have been transformed into essential third spaces that promote social mingling and support Singapore's founding principles of multiculturalism.

Taking readers through time, From Streets to Stalls investigates the origins of hawking in ninth-century Singapore and ends with a commentary on the present-day sociocultural importance that it retains.


Street food enthusiasts and general public with an interest in Singapore-related literature, especially readers of Singaporean sociology, history, and culture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cultural

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 4, 2024

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

We must stan 🫡 genuinely don’t know much about Singapore’s history so this didn’t give me as much as if I had.

In general, it’s an excellent breakdown of how the government struggled over time to confront hawking and eventually integrated it into a multicultural, safe, and socially healthy, public space. It’s hard to imagine many other communities successfully integrating street food into the fabric of community so well. Models I saw across China didn’t seem as 1) affordable 2) healthy or 3 community focused.

My only complaint is that its difficult to write an entire book about food hawking without talking about the food and recipes in some detail, but Ryan manages to do so? I wanted more mouth watering stories, and even personal anecdotes, though I understand that wasn’t the point of this more scholarly study.

Impressed with Ryan’s dedication to this work and excited to see what comes next.

[Aquila M · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Street to Stalls is a fascinating exploration of Singapore’s hawker culture, tracing its history and evolution over the years. The book delves into the origins of hawking, combining rigorous research and historical analysis that dates back as far as the ninth century.

Through its detailed examination, the book highlights the social, political, economic, and cultural significance of hawker centres in Singapore’s development and national identity. What stood out to me was learning how hawker centres are far more than a response to public health concerns—they are also a carefully engineered solution designed to ensure affordable, accessible food for all, made possible through well-calibrated and thoughtfully implemented policies. Hawker centres further fulfill the government’s broader goals of multiculturalism through racially curated stalls while preserving Singapore’s rich culinary heritage.

Hawker centres are a uniquely Singaporean innovation, and this book does an excellent job of recognizing their importance. By shedding light on the history and evolution of hawker culture, this book imbues a deeper appreciation for these communal spaces that hold such a central place in the nation’s identity.

My rating: 4.5/5

[Apollos Michio · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Singaporeans, most of us enjoy our meals at hawker centres, favoured for their affordability and variety. However, before we take a bite of the mouth-watering delicacies, do we ever stop to think about how hawker centres came to be? 🇸🇬

In From Streets to Stalls, scholar Ryan Kueh lucidly uncovers the history and evolution of the hawking trade and hawker centres in Singapore (right from the 14th century), providing us with a comprehensive understanding of how hawker centres came to be. 🍽️

The text leans towards the academic but appropriately so, as it covers the historical contexts and policies that have shaped the evolution of the hawking culture. Reading this makes me appreciate the well-regulated nature of present-day hawker centres and the sociopolitical factors that have moulded them into what they are and represent. I will remember to always be grateful when I visit hawker centres in the future! 😆

4.25/5

[JournalsTLY]

Very readable book that is well researched and well written.
Tells of the days when the (colonial) government in Singapore tried to control the hawker trade - seeing the negatives of bad hygiene, road and traffic issues and left-behind garbage. But the control did not work and the number of hawkers increased especially after World War 2.

Traced the history to how hawkers and hawker centres become the multicultural social hubs in Singapore - where rich and poor are happy to have their breakfasts, lunches or (perhaps and) dinners with no class or caste divide.

If short of time or if you are a reader that wants to dive in quickly - read chapter 8 first. An excellent chapter titled "Hawker centres as Aspired Multiculturalism".

Cuedoes to the writer for the many charts that are distilled from archives and old documents . IVery illustrative . These can be used for class discussions if using this book in scholarly settings (and it should be).

Wonderful read .

[Rawls Link · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a lover of hawker food, you must pick this book up.

This book illustrates the evolution of hawkers into the hawker centres that we see today, which is now recognised as a UNESCO cultural heritage of humanity.

It does so by balancing the stories of hawkers that I grew up hearing about while further exploring the many different socio-economic implications of the trade.

This book is a rare find and I greatly enjoyed reading it.

[Lucas Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resonates with me for a couple of reasons and it is difficult to share them in short.

Firstly, as a Singaporean Gen Z, hawker centres and hawker culture have been so well-integrated into my life that it has been easy to take their accessibility - in both convenience and cost - for granted. Furthermore, the sociological and cultural roles they play on the island have never been concepts I had considered before this book. It is a shame this share of our heritage is facing a “slow death” and, in my newfound appreciation for it, I really do hope this book and the conversation it sparks can make it so my children and their children after them will be able to share in this unique piece of Singapore.

Secondly, to see how the early PAP turned the “hawker problem” - one that our previous governments had deemed a nuisance but failed to eradicate - into a service to the community as a “third place”, which has grown into such a key and outstanding piece of Singapore’s culture today, is quite amazing to me. I suppose it just goes to show how powerful the grassroots approach of community-building can be, which is a point that is covered in this book succinctly yet powerfully.

All in all (TLDR), a fantastic and thought-provoking book that all Singaporeans, especially those from my generation, should read; if not to learn about our country’s history from a different perspective, then to begin to appreciate a key facet of our Little Red Dot’s identity.

[Matthew L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, especially Chapter 3. Chapter 3 was innovative in attempting to backdate hawking - a core tenet of the Singaporean identity - to pre-colonial times. It decisively traced hawking to 14th century Singapore, though hawking’s existence in 9th century Singapore is less clear. This historicisation is perhaps an influence of Tan Tai Yong, the author’s previous supervisor (whose books I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed reading).

For an organic culture that’s important to modern Singaporean identity, the backdating of hawking to pre-colonial times is an important trope for decolonisation, one which I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Dhevarajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of how Singapore's hawker policies evolved from colonial times to post independence. We eat so often at hawker centres but rarely think about how they came to be.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in Singapore, I pass by hawker centres nearly everyday. Most times, I never stop to think twice about them. This book does a great job of surfacing and breaking down the history and political significance of hawker centres to the uninitiated. It goes further by tracing the practice of hawking in Singapore to the 14th century - a first in local scholarship.

A must-read for Singapore citizens.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was able to get over the very dry academic style of this book due to the solid research and my love of hawker stalls. Your results may vary.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high three stars. While I didn't know a lot (or any, really) of hawker history, I had hoped for a deeper dive into the more modern aspects of hawker centres.