[moonrab]

More and more, and this could be due to Singaporeans having the money to travel to various cities of Thailand, Thai food stalls are sprouting up. It's either a moo something or a soi something.

So after a few generations, we say Tom Yam soup and Pineapple rice or Mango rice is our heritage food? And for good measure, the grandchildren of new citizens from China even add mala to the list? 

Nice one.

Singapore successfully joined into UNESCO Food Culture 30 countries list.
Under Hawker Food Center Culture. In which represented our history of local foods enjoyed by all Singaporean from all Races.

Nothing says Southeast Asia like a bustling food market. In 2020, UNESCO recognised the cultural importance of Singapore’s unique hawker food centres when it added them to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Singapore is an extremely multicultural nation, and no where is that more obvious than at the city’s hawker markets. These large undercover centres house a range of small restaurants where chefs whip up a menu of diverse meals that showcase Malay, Nyonya, Indian and Chinese flavours. Many cooks specialise in just one or two dishes – over time, they’ve truly refined their craft.

Hawker culture dates back to the 1960s and although the centres have changed over time, becoming more regulated and organised, they’ve been a fixture of Singapore’s culinary landscape for generations.

Apart from being a great place to grab an affordable meal, hawker centres are ‘community dining rooms’ – spaces carved out of the city’s modern urban landscape where people from varied backgrounds come together to socialise. UNESCO recognises these markets as being critical to social cohesion.

Try it for yourself: Singapore’s hawker markets are the place to go for an immersive dining experience. They’re a window onto diverse Singaporean culture and offer an opportunity to try all the country’s specialty dishes under one roof (including famous chilli crab!). Here are the top five hawker centres to visit in Singapore.

LAU PA SAT:...

The former Telok Ayer Market (now known as Lau Pa Sat, meaning “old market”) at Raffles Quay was completed in 1894 to replace a market that had been demolished for the Telok Ayer Basin land reclamation. It was gazetted as a national monument on 28 June 1973 and converted into a food and entertainment complex in 1989.1

Description

Its trademark octagonal design was set as early as the 1820s when it was just a timber-and-attap fish market set at the water's edge. It was rebuilt on the reclaimed Telok Ayer Basin at the turn of the century, the new version recapturing the framework design in a Victorian style. It was the first market built by the Municipal Commission and one of the first structures in Asia made of prefabricated cast iron. The filigreed cast and wrought iron were imported from Glasgow, Scotland.2

As part of the renovations undertaken in the 1990s by Renaissance Properties of the Scotts Group, the market acquired new features such as chimes ringing out local tunes. The 23 bronze Dutch carillons were rung by a jacquemart, or a mechanical figurine. The 1.25-metre doll, dressed like a Chinese coolie, would simulate the ringing movements activating Chinese, Malay and Indian melodies to be played. At the centre of the market was a sunken fountain with tiled flooring that could serve as a stage for performances. The fountain was reminiscent of a cast-iron fountain that marked the centre of the 1890 market but was relocated in 1902. Rediscovered only in 1989, the fountain stands now in Raffles Hotel’s Palm Garden.