If you enjoyed this two-part documentary, make sure to check out Season 2 of Belly of a Nation: kzread.info/dash/bejne/aKaJ29JuopbAhZc.html There we follow different Singapore hawkers over 9 months and captures their blood, sweat and tears as they dish out salivating Oyster Omelette, Wonton Noodles, Appam, Tze Char Poke Bowls, Mee Siam and many more while trying to cope with COVID-19.

After visiting Singapore for a couple of times, I'm inclined to say that the heart and soul of this place is not with its skyscrapers or its modern day business establishments but from these hawker centers.

@louth1770

4 жыл бұрын

Well said, Elise!!! An equally important element in biding the community.

@kbidols

4 жыл бұрын

I spent 3 years living in Singapore, and yes I have to agree with you. I can clearly see why it has become like that. Food & beverages is what unite people from different cultures. It's the friendliest means of communication.

@budakdk

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Elise you truly see where we come from!

@MC-tm2uy

6 ай бұрын

Absolutely true. You want the facade of Singapore? Go to all the fancy places and entertainment attractions. You want the heart beat of Singapore? Sit down and have a meal at a hawker center and make some new friends

Singaporean are lucky...we have choices..from hawker centre food starting at $3 to high end restaurants to choose from. Not many first world countries have such option. Hawker food is very much part of our country culture.

@peko7446

4 жыл бұрын

I live in the US and the closest we get from hawker food are those offered by food trucks, but you won't find 3 USD prices for lunch.

@theuglykwan

4 жыл бұрын

@@peko7446 All that gentrification etc and new developments but they don't think to create spaces like this.

@sdqsdq6274

4 жыл бұрын

@@peko7446 its all about overheads

@romella_karmey

3 жыл бұрын

@@peko7446 I'm surprised about the price of handmade or home cooked meals in the US for 10 dollar average you'll get some pieces of meat with chow fan or noodles and shu mai. In my country the fast food are the ones more expensive than homecooked meals.

@peko7446

3 жыл бұрын

@@sdqsdq6274 you got it

To all the hawkers around Singapore, Thank you very much for all the hard work to bring us all kinds of good food. Greatly appreciated. Thank you once again🙏🏻

shit, honestly CNA have pretty darn good documentaries... why arent more people viewing this... WHY DID I ONLY VIEW THIS NOW?!?!

@remymartin1326

3 жыл бұрын

Political issues,

I'm from mexico!! And never been to singapore but i just find this documentary amazing!! And lovable!! Can't wait to travel to taste all this dishes!!

Support all Singapore hawkers. They are our heart and soul

I opened this video thinking that I'll only watch 4-5 minutes & close the tab but here I am commenting after watching the whole documentary and sharing it on my facebook hahaha Thank you, CNA. Much love from Bangladesh and God bless you all.

Some of these hawkers story are very emotional, is great the new generation of youth taking over from their parents or grandparents. These are part of Asian traditional foods, once modernised, keep the place clean and tidy it will attract customers, new or old. Western fast food is proven as not health to human, but is the environment the fast food restaurants created as comfort, convenience and trendy. The hawker centre can do the same, when few stores form together it gives the consumers more of a choice and much more healthy food etc. Long live the hawkers store 😘😘😘

Hawker is a trade in Singapore that only Singaporeans can practise. We should be proud of it.

Our local heroes. Thank you for making our small country so famous all over the world for our amazing food. let’s continue to keep our traditions and keep our Singaporean blood strong and alive.

Respect and admiration for all hawkers!

Left Singapore over a decade, the hawker food is what I miss the most.

As a Malaysian, who once worked and lived for 6 years in Singapore, I know how most Singaporeans work hard to make ends meet. Watching this video and seeing how dedicated these educated sons and daughters of the 2nd and 3rd generation food hawkers rise up to continue their parents and forefathers legacies, brings tears to my eyes. I wish them all the success in their endeavors and wish them good health and happiness ❤️ We 🇲🇾 are your closest neighbour and many of us have relatives in each others country. This bond will always prevail and we should all adopt and practice a 'prosper thy neighbour' attitude. 🤗 Be well and do what's best for you 👍🤲🇸🇬🇲🇾🤝

@babibrain

8 ай бұрын

Most Singaporen , there parents are Malaysian

@Novato.twentythree

3 ай бұрын

LOL

I hope the world knows and wants to come and indulge their taste buds with the variety of good food in Singapore. It is worth the expense to travel here. Thank you.

All I can say is, this is a fantastic documentary.

@1WhiteAkita

4 жыл бұрын

This is a cruel, cruel documentary! I became hungry before a minute is gone and am planning to book a ticket to Singapore. Singaporean hawker food is definitely on my bucket list.

@waileonglum2738

4 жыл бұрын

饿勒派焊条巴布亚 😂😆

Singapore always sets the bar high in everything. I think so long as the hawkers are creative with their dish (or dishes) they won't have anything to fear. The dish has got to be a niche dish...something they can call their own creation.

Yummy! Singapore's Hawkers food is a National treasure! Love that food!

A bowl of hard worked prawn noodles sell for $4 and customers already complain its "expensive", but people are gladly paying $9-10 for a bowl of Japanese ramen, or $7-8 for Korean Ramen, which are essentially instant noodles with powdered soup, and add some meat. the mindset of customers must change also, that we must be willing to pay more for quality hawker food, and hawkers also need to learn to take breaks and take off. If working for 10 or 12 hours, and selling food at $2.50 or $3 is the "norm" for hawkers, then no one will want to do it. I dun mind $4 or $5 for food if i can tell its handmade. but i dun like how some newbies are using all factory made ingredients, to assemble their food, then sell it at high prices, and call it a "skill"

Food from hawker centre taste the best hands down...they are the beating heart & soul of Singapore 😘

Proud of the first two hawkers and you could see from their face expressions they are proud of their grandfather and father....such fine young folks! I hope to meet them and eat their delicious looking food someday soon when the pandemic is over!

I really hope the young generation continue the hawker heart beat for many more generations to come. Food is what bring people together.

Good video especially showing the history and old days. Really admire all hardworking hawkers and the good food

Lived in Singapore for 6 months, in 1990's. Nothing I loved more then those hawker cneter food. Regardless, what time of night, you always find aunties cooking nice and testy foods. They are the center of Singapore's joy culture for foodies like me.

Narrated beautifully. Captured the emotions of ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

Thank you for this amazing video, covering the Hawker centre history and giving us an insight of where some of these unique foods come from, and showing us the dedication of the various stall holders and some of the difficulties they go through. It makes me appreciate the food even more, and makes me want to return to Singapore again just to explore the various hawker stalls.

Great documentary, very interesting to learn the history of Singapore from a different perspective.

Much love to you all. These stories were simply inspiring. They remind me of the old ramen shops we visit in shinjuku.

Thank you cna for this wonderful documentary ... Respect all these hardworking hawkers

Wonderful food documentary! Never been to Singapore but this documentary about hawker food makes me want to go just try the hawker food! I hope hawker culture continue to prosper in Singapore!

I pray for all the people doing this job,it is truly a labor of love.God bless them to continue their food traditions.this video made me cry so much,but I am happy for the children who love their parents ,and press on.

Dear Mr Sumadi Sapari - I ate the food your mother and dad cooked and loved it since I was a teenager. The bubur ayam at their store was my first experience eating a bubur ayam and still in my mind the very best I have ever tasted! I have moved away from the area but if I pass by Adam Road I will aim for Mee soto and mee rebus breakfast. There was also a chinese family that sold chicken rice and then was converted into a dessert store later in the day. I wish you the very best!

Very inspiring video: thank-you.

Excellent job on the documentaries! 👍🏾👍🏾

Thank you for sharing... I miss my high school experience in Singapore in 70s... always eat food court meals... $1-2 back then... I will re-visit those places again if I stop by Singapore...

I loved this documentary. Thank you.

Wonderful video. It would be a national tragedy for Singapore to lose this unique tradition. Thank you CNA and partners.

@natpainter8185

4 жыл бұрын

are they Chinese , cna and partners

@joelpalmer4976

4 жыл бұрын

@@natpainter8185 Based in Singapore

Hawkers have been my inspiration to open up a small food truck. I watch all these videos. These people are the true heart beats to the culture. I mean look at them just beautiful

This is why I love singapore

I always thank the hawkers with all my heart, the people who keep traditions alive with hard work. 7 hours to make indian rojak can you imagine, i am very grateful to simply walk by the stalls and pick what i want to eat.

Very well made video. Thank you and very informative. I will someday come to Singapore and experience this traditional Hawker Stalls. Very nice food.

I really like hawker foods. Hope the legacy of hawker culture will continue.

When I am in Singapore I mostly eat at these places, I hope🙏🏼they will continue. For me this is one of the main attractions in Singapore.

''''If you love the job you do, you will never work another day'''', wow, graduated from university, and decided to become a hawker, she's happy

I love singapore hawkers, its the experience and food

Interesting to see a follow-up episode if these new hawkers survived after 4 years. Sharing their learnings in the journey.

Thanks for sharing video love it 😍

This is nice❤️

CNA thank you for the very good and interesting documentaries which I now follow Keep up the good work

Yummy. Love Singapore hawkers' food

Nice one CNA. love your documentaries.

Hawkers centers heart and soul of Singapore please please keep . I still remember some of the best food in 30 years, it was outdoors and heavenly

These people are freaking amazing theyre like natural chefs. Ughh dream to eat their food

Great documentary. Actually brought tears to my eyes. 😅

Wow! I say Bravo! his is pretty hard for someone who had graduated with a university degree and hopes to be a doctor or an engineer but gives in to his filial piety to honor his dad's legacy!

Ponder this, Ref KF Seetoh comments."It’s nice- having a hawker centre at almost every corner in Singapore (safe for the newer towns where more will be built). There are currently 114 government run public hawker centres in tiny Singapore. Nice for the customers, as they expect food there to be good, cheap or at least affordable. But not nice for the hawkers and any new players looking to be one. There are too many hawker centres it seems. And this excludes the hundreds of coffeeshops, food courts, canteens and stand alone food shops and stalls. We are looking at in excess of 15,000 food stalls in puny Singapore and the number is growing as more hawker centres are being built as I write. "

@zhenhangwong5548

4 жыл бұрын

Kennedy Poi ponder this if some extra hawker center was to relocated to Punggol and new towns, those so call extra stall will be not extra anymore. Bedok have so many that a few can be moved.

You can never go wrong when you care to do your part as a son or daughter to your parents..working no matter how difficult it may seem but has always paid off..to a better life..though it may not all be materially rewarding

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRUE HUMAN BEINGS . THEY DO THEIR BEST TO SERVE WITH LOVE AND DEDICATION. I HOPE ONEDAY I CAN VISIT SINGAPORE AND ENJOY THEIR DISHES. GOD BLESS

I enjoyed this; please keep traditions alive . 🕊

My mouth is watering looking at all the delicious food...

Singapore is a good heaven. There are so many good food inherited generation to generation. No doubt

Wonderful story I can't wait to try it on my next visit

It’s an amazing & wonderful show. The subtitles are too small - it’s harder for seniors to see.

@channelnewsasia

4 жыл бұрын

Hi MsRwong, we've added the subtitles file. You can click on Settings > Options > Font Size and select a larger font size. Hope this helps!

SO HARD TO CHOOSE...I LOVE THE OYSTER OMELETTE, MURTABAK, WONTON SOUP...HOWEVER, MY FAVORITE DISH, WHICH I CAN EAT DAILY IS THE FRAGANT, YUMMY HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE!!!!

The captions are terrible! Some do not make sense just nonsense. Luckily, the presenter is good! A very comprehensive history and ongoing progress of hawker centres. Singapore and Malaysia are unique with the hawker food culture which we all love!

Our ITE should consider having courses to train future Hawkers. Government is to build high ceiling, better ventilated and well equipped stalls to encourage more youngsters to take up this trade. Most young working couples depend on hawker foods for their lunch and dinner. Food at coffee shops are expensive and food quality declining as owners of coffee shops are more keen on huge profit. Hawker centres will provide competition to the greedy coffee shop owners.

Thank you for the beautyfull document. Restaurant are very hard job. You much love it, if no you can't cook some good food.

It's wonderful that the children hv taken over from their parents. Because of them we r still able to savour delicious hawker food!

Heroes of the nation.

I'm impressed ! Spirit captures ! How hardworking, how much sincere kindness in the eyes of these people ! I'm sure that such people will not be able to make not tasty dishes ! Very interesting and helpful video ! Decent job ! * * * Dear CNA ! Thank You very very much for Your unique , necessary and important job for us ! I appreciate it !

man, i love rojak ujak... and his rojak looks soo delicious! my mouth watering while watching that segment :D

i lived in Singapore a long time a go my dad was in the UK RAF , one thing i will say is we had a resonant at the back of the home we lived at in Chang we never for get the food still.

Commentator sure sounds like Michelle Yeoh.

@channelnewsasia

4 жыл бұрын

That's Singaporean theatre actress Karen Tan's voice!

@wfhalsey1

4 жыл бұрын

I came to the comments to ask if this is Michelle's voice - so similar!

@itsmejulie1982

4 жыл бұрын

yes, same thought]

@preethipaniker

3 жыл бұрын

Me too😁

Hats off to those young guys

Part of the fun in Thailand was places like this.

humans...a species that never appreciates abundance till they are all gone....God bless you CNA.....GOd bless us all.

Very nice and informative piece. As with most CNA features, this story was told comprehensively. Also, until I read the credits, I thought that the narrator of this story was Michelle Yeoh!

I wished and hope more younger generation hawkers would continue their parent's legacy. If not, our children won't be able to have them in future.

@ISTARI22

4 жыл бұрын

@Lee David I'm afraid of that too.

@kally06

4 жыл бұрын

But many think being a hawker is a useless job and won’t earn a lot of money so they are better off in other career paths

@romella_karmey

3 жыл бұрын

Younger gens ideal job was less effort and easy money that's why many find jobs in becoming KZread vloggers or gamers. They never want labor intensive jobs anymore. For me, as a 23 year old, the ideal job for me is food vlogger, ASMR or mukbang vlogger or food taster. I eat food yet I earn money from it lol easy peasy. Less effort and more income.

@romella_karmey

3 жыл бұрын

@Rousseau Anah Dave but the younger entrants don't do their job with love. They pick factory made or already made ingredients then dump everything in a bowl lol. The oldies even make noodles from scratch. The newbies just toss some instant noodles and call it hawker's food lol

@iwinlee

3 жыл бұрын

@@kally06 they can expand by franchising their business...

The best part of the rojak is many food operators forget to put the freshly blanc cut water spinach. Bean Sprout acceptable also. Chinese Royak with water spinach is delicious. The vegetables will absorb the sauce together with the fixed fruits (half ripe light orange crunchy mangoes, red or green fragrant jampu, japanese cucumber not the local ones, pienapples, is delicious. Should have seafood rojak version. The father is very tough. Have a high wood seat make so you can sit during work.

so happy the hawker culture still running in an advanced country like singapore , unlike other where fast food chain is the cheapest option

So many rich history w the street hawkers ❤️🙏🏼

Awesome

Hope they are fairing well with covid.

Sounds a lot like Michelle Yeoh narrating. Very Malaysian accented. 👍☺️

I feel that more needs to be done to help the hawkers, in terms of financial subsidies for rent and rest days. It is really back-breaking to work 7 days a week, and it's not fair that while others can rest during the weekends, hawkers are unable to. No wonder so few want to take up the reins.

@SCPtp

4 жыл бұрын

@Kuchi Kopi So, what's your point? No one said it was easy. We are all rooting for the hawkers, but they need some form of support too. Everyone deserves adequate rest days, including our hawkers. And you don't need to be rude.

@SCPtp

4 жыл бұрын

@Kuchi Kopi good for you then. You sound like someone with anger issues. I hope you get help for that :) Good luck

@ZhuGeLiang6969

4 жыл бұрын

@Kuchi Kopi u must have a tough unhappy life huh.. hope you recover soon

@nepalihercules

4 жыл бұрын

They work 7 days because they want to make money. They can easily close their shop for the weekend or at least hire more people to take the load off.

@user-wy4qg2px7d

4 жыл бұрын

The rental and additional charges added is not cheap though .

Great documentary 10/10

very nice documentary. I want more!

Beautiful. Foods very good healthy foods she is very good hard worker thank you for sharing your beautiful healthy foods spices and not spicy thank you for sharing your beautiful healthy foods very good noodle stall .

I wonder if theres a legend in Singapore where theres a mythical Hawker restaurant that shows up magically during midnight then disappeat the next day. Where the food thats serve is so good, you will have temporary super powers.

The prawn mee is delicious.Lunch time is always a long que

I move to England from Singapore and I do miss the hawker center a lot.

Something new to feast people’s eyes on..to break the monotony as others think so..what does boredom mean..it is a word that describe those who think life itself is not enough..

the underground mall in the heart of the city also consists of modern hawkers if i remember correctly, been more than a decade since last time i went to singapore. the noodle thing (forgot the name) and just across from the noodle stand is the hainam rice, both are insanely good, not to mention also great for diet.

I envy Singapore. I wish I could have a copy of Lee Kuan Yew's From Third World to First: The Singapore Story

Rujak...Rojak in Spore...with chakueh...enakk pk kecombrang..sambel kacang terasi❤❤❤

different countries gathered into one place in Singapore to spread presenting foods with distinct taste it is really happy to see that there is this strong connection in every each country on this environment, hope that someday I will be one of their lucky customer to taste and experience their delicious food!

the subsidized dishwasher is great. Less waste because dishes are taken care of.. Man we need more of these around in the US.

man... i literally have to eat before i can watch this

I love mutton rice. There is a stall selling mutton rice at Geylang food court near the wet market.

The hawker life is not easy. What still keeps the younger generation's determination to maintain the spirit, the devotion to upkeep the legacy? Heart, soul, memory to the legacy of their parents. As someone who really enjoys cooking, and living abroad, when i make a dish that comes close to tasting "authentic", it is very satisfying. I feel fortunate to grow up in this time, while the hawker fare has such an amazing variety. That is the creativity of Singaporeans. It will be a big pity if the hawker culture gradually disappears because this life is just too difficult and doesn't pay very well.