A Nation's Dining Room

Home on the Dot

Once upon a time, Singapore’s hawkers peddled their foods on the streets. But in the 1950s, the government began to shepherd them into hawker centres; congregations of food stalls where food hygiene, stall rental, and business could be better managed. Since then, the hawker centre has been a great success, churning out food so cheap and delicious that eating out is more common than home cooking for many Singaporeans. Many have fond memories of their favourite hawker food and families create nostalgic memories in the hawker centre. In this episode, Raudhah reflects on how food is connected to her notion of home and national identity, and explores the recent developments of hawker culture in Singapore.