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In Singapore and Hong Kong, street hawkers were corralled into hawker centres, which kept the amazing food culture alive and solved the hygiene and sanitation p

In Singapore and Hong Kong, street hawkers were corralled into hawker centres, which kept the amazing food culture alive and solved the hygiene and sanitation problems as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_centre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_centre However, it's hard to see Thailand's shambolic junta pulling off such a move, and there's no space for them anyway. (In Singapore and HK, most hawker centres were built as part of massive public housing projects.)

jzwinck 10y ago
I live in Singapore and even within the past years there has been a clear shift in cuisine as hawker centres become homogenized. Long ago the street vendors were shifted into groups under permanent roofs. But over time the areas under those roofs became standardized like shipping containers and now most of the kitchens are exactly the same size. This limits diversity because there can no longer be an auntie selling tiny packets of whatever for $1 from a cart. Centralization also gave rise to food type quotas, so if there are three chicken rice shops in one area you may not be allowed to open another. Hawker centres do enable an amazing food culture, but at a price. Bangkok has them too, just not exclusively.
- xiaoma 10y ago
  >"This limits diversity because there can no longer be an auntie selling tiny packets of whatever for $1 from a cart. Centralization also gave rise to food type quotas, so if there are three chicken rice shops in one area you may not be allowed to open another." Wow. That's really sad. It it exactly fits my impression of Singapore (at least from its stereotype as seen from Taiwan). The hawker food is great and especially the Indian/Chinese/Western fusion foods were a treat, but it would be a better city if it also had a nightmarket where that auntie could sell from her cart. There's definitely a happy spot between unmonitored, unsafe street foods and 100% central control stamping out not only the unsanitary but also the variety.
victornomad 10y ago
I found Hawker centers in HK way dirtier than eating in the street in Bangkok :P and waaaaaay worse food... In Singapore was OK but like the rest of the city everything feels too clean and boring! Bangkok has already Hawker centers but its a totally different experience (complementary). I really love the smells, the lighting, busy things happening all the time around me, and feeling so casual while eating in the street... :)

jzwinck 10y ago

I live in Singapore and even within the past years there has been a clear shift in cuisine as hawker centres become homogenized. Long ago the street vendors were shifted into groups under permanent roofs. But over time the areas under those roofs became standardized like shipping containers and now most of the kitchens are exactly the same size. This limits diversity because there can no longer be an auntie selling tiny packets of whatever for $1 from a cart. Centralization also gave rise to food type quotas, so if there are three chicken rice shops in one area you may not be allowed to open another. Hawker centres do enable an amazing food culture, but at a price. Bangkok has them too, just not exclusively.

xiaoma 10y ago
>"This limits diversity because there can no longer be an auntie selling tiny packets of whatever for $1 from a cart. Centralization also gave rise to food type quotas, so if there are three chicken rice shops in one area you may not be allowed to open another." Wow. That's really sad. It it exactly fits my impression of Singapore (at least from its stereotype as seen from Taiwan). The hawker food is great and especially the Indian/Chinese/Western fusion foods were a treat, but it would be a better city if it also had a nightmarket where that auntie could sell from her cart. There's definitely a happy spot between unmonitored, unsafe street foods and 100% central control stamping out not only the unsanitary but also the variety.

victornomad 10y ago

I found Hawker centers in HK way dirtier than eating in the street in Bangkok :P and waaaaaay worse food... In Singapore was OK but like the rest of the city everything feels too clean and boring! Bangkok has already Hawker centers but its a totally different experience (complementary). I really love the smells, the lighting, busy things happening all the time around me, and feeling so casual while eating in the street... :)