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Hawkers: Success & Succession Three stories of Singapore’s food legends’ quest for continuity All rights reserved National Library Board, Singapore (NLB) 2013 This work was exclusively created for the Singapore Memory Project, NLB www.SingaporeMemory.sg Text & Design by: Makansutra (S) Pte Ltd Photos by: Makansutra (S) Pte Ltd (unless stated otherwise) Published by: National Library Board, Singapore 100 Victoria Street #14-01 National Library Building Singapore 188064 Republic of Singapore Tel: +65 6332 3255 email: [email protected] www.nlb.gov.sg ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The text, layout and designs presented in this book, as well as the book in its entirety, are protected by the copyright and intellectual property laws of the Republic of Singapore and similar laws in other countries. Commercial production of works based in whole or in part upon the text, designs, drawings and photographs contained in this book is strictly forbidden without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ISBN 978-981-07-7228-4 2 Contents Foreword 04 Introduction 05 The Natural Nasi Lemak Pilot 06 Dearth and Death of a Hawker Legend 12 He Sells Fish Selflessly 19 3 Foreword Street food hawking in Singapore during the tumultuous pre- and post-war era, was a means to make ends meet. Migrants, deprived of economic opportunities, resorted to culinary ingenuity and hawked their family heirloom recipes on the streets, often illegally. This became a way to feed the masses affordably. Over the decades, as lifestyle and expectations changed, food culture went from itinerant to iconic. Hawkers were housed in custom-built hawker centres with basic hygiene facilities by the late 1980s, and eating, naturally, became a national pastime. But due to economic advancements and evolving expectations of a newer generation, the life of this well-loved local food culture is slowly ebbing away. Many of the older generation of hawkers and their once young assistants are already past retirement age or nearing it, with no natural successors of this culture in sight. While there are concerns from both the public and private sectors over the effect of this “cancer”, very little is being done to address the problems of continuity. In a country that is of late so easily influenced by foreign cultures and trends, Makansutra feels that our hawker food is one of our nation’s last bastions of culture. Our unique street flavours have links to our past and migrant heritage. It traces the “culinary silk route” of Singapore. It’s the most unctuous language of our culture. The stories told here are about the natural, unnatural and unfortunate tales of the rebirth, death and dearth of our Singapore street food culture. KF Seetoh Makan Guru CEO Makansutra 4 Introduction The quest for continuity of our beloved street food culture has been the biggest bugbear of the street food industry here. Even the government and the food loving public are up in arms over the potential dearth and death of this culture of ours, and are finding ways and means to preserve it. The younger, more affluent generation do not find being a hawker appealing, with its long working hours, menial nature and sweatshop-like conditions. This is coupled with operation and management woes and the pressure to keep food cost low even as labour cost increases. All hawkers, especially the successful ones, are bound to face the question of succession. In the last three years, at least three old-generation hawkers suddenly found themselves confronted with the issue. Mr Ng Siaw Meng whose name was synonymous with satay beehoon, Mr Hassan Abdul Kadir who was considered a nasi lemak legend and master, and Mr Loh Mun Hon whose family created many signature dishes like sum lo hor fun, were all dealt the same card by the hand of fate. But each generated a different outcome to their quest for continuity and a future legacy. Through the families and disciples they left behind, we trace the journeys of these hawkers’ quest for succession. One was unplanned, one masterminded it, and the other, only thought about it when it was too late. We also shed light on their children’s stories on why they did or didn’t carry on their parents’ famous street food legacies and successful businesses. We unveil the challenges they faced, and why the old spirit of running a food business is difficult to upkeep in this day and age. 5 The Natural Nasi Lemak Pilot SELERA RASA NASI LEMAK, ADAM ROAD FOOD CENTRE Abdul Malik Hassan had always wanted to be an airline pilot, but his father had other plans for him and his four siblings – to manage the family’s renowned Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak business. And in their family, hierarchy and respect for the wishes of the elders and seniors come first. Being the eldest child, Malik was the “crown prince” of the business. His father ensured he learnt the craft of making nasi lemak as a teenager. After graduating from university, Malik continued helping out at the stall at the elder Hassan’s insistence, but in between, he sold signboards to petrol stations. He dutifully traded his tie for a T-shirt to help at the stall each evening, unaware that one day, the switch would be permanent. 6 Malik, the “crown prince” of Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak, took over the reins after his father passed on. It was when Malik finally received a call to go for an interview as a pilot at age 31 that his father gently and firmly laid down the rules and family plan – he was to take over the family’s nasi lemak business instead. Freedom gave way to duty and filial piety. By then, he was fully equipped to take over because his father had systematically planned it all along. In Malik’s words: “machiam Jackie Chan kena trained kung fu” (like how Jackie Chan was taught kung fu). 7 Like a true master of his craft, Malik reveals some tricks and tips of the trade: break eggs first into a bowl to ascertain their freshness; the patterns on a cucumber’s skin reveal the moisture in the vegetable; rougher basmati grains yield fluffier rice; curly dried chillies are milder than the straight ones; ikan bilis from Vietnam are thinner and crispier; fresh fish smells like the sea, not the freezer – all expert knowledge not noticed by customers and lesser peers. Crispy ikan bilis from Vietnam. Fresh eggs with runny yolk. Tweaks he made to the recipe included removing acar from the menu, because he found that nasi lemak packed with the spicy pickled vegetable spoiled and went rancid faster. The elder Hassan died of lung cancer in late 2011, but his vision of continuing of the family-run business carries on. Today, five years after 8 Business is as good, if not better, as their father’s time. helming the business, Malik still manages and delivers, consistently to the incessant queues at their stall each day. Even our prime minister and the president are his regulars. Even though he has received invitations to open franchises in food courts, hawker centres and even abroad, he has remained at Adam Road, where his father started in 1998. Just as his father had wished, the stall is now run by Malik and his siblings – the only people he trusted with the cooking. 9 “Only family will ensure that every step of the Each of them has their own special skills and cooking is done right,” says Malik. strengths to contribute to the family business. “Only family will cut the cucumbers into equal sizes,” Malik reasoned. They have since opened another outlet in Ang Mo Kio. Malik’s third and youngest brothers chop and fry for him, while his sister, who among them makes the best sambal, prepares the chilli at their Ang Mo Kio outlet and then delivers it to them. His second brother, who has a day job, cleans up the stall in the evening. “This business has brought us closer, like in those days before we all got married and moved into our own homes,” said Malik. Malik has also declared that every Friday would be a rest day, so that the entire family, including the children, can get together at their mother’s place. 10 The Hassan family, including Mailk (third from right), his three brothers (left), sister (far right) and mother (second from right). With the business becoming more promising and successful, Malik is already looking to involve the third generation. After hearing his teachers and classmates praise the family’s nasi lemak many times, his 14-year- old son proudly announced he would help out at the stall after completing his National Service. While Malik wasn’t a willing successor, unlike his eager son, he harbours no regrets. When he watches his customers clean off their plates, he feels as though he is on top of the world. 11 Dearth and Death of a Hawker Legend MENG KEE SATAY BEE HOON, Image courtesy of Meng Kee Satay Bee Hoon Hoon Bee Satay Kee Meng of courtesy Image EAST COAST LAGOON FOOD CENTRE Ng Siaw Meng was christened a “Hawker Legend” in 2005, a street food award accorded by food rating and food consultancy company Makansutra, with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board and the National Environment Agency. The award has not been handed out since, as such top flight street food masters are few and far between. Image courtesy of Meng Kee Satay Bee Hoon Hoon Bee Satay Kee Meng of courtesy Image Meng Kee Satay Bee Hoon’s first location at the now-defunct “three-milestone” market in Upper Serangoon.

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