Singapore Hawker Centres - Lily Kong

National Environment Agency $40

As Singapore has prospered, so have its streetside hawkers. Today, your typical refurbished hawker food centres are multi-million-dollar affairs, such as the Adam Food Centre, renovated in 2001 for $1.74 million, or Newton Circus, reopened in 2006 after a $4.8m makeover. And so comes Singapore Hawker Centres, a coffee-table book encapsulating these ‘people, places and food’ that’s heavy on trivia and light on criticism. Geography professor Lily Kong’s heroic prose – both historical and heartstring-tugging – will leave you nostalgic for your favourite, maybe forgotten stalls. This commission by the National Environment Agency, the governing body of hawker centres, comes at a time when the high-maintenance food court has mushroomed, overtaking its non-air-conditioned sibling in efficiency and convenience. There are numerous interviews and case studies of nuclear families, first- and second-generation hawkers, geriatric table cleaners and entrepreneurial hawkers such as Ya Kun Kaya Toast from the 1960s, culminating with the conclusion that modernisation and progress are inevitable. Soon, even hawker centres could become multidisciplinary venues that incorporate exhibition spaces and meeting halls. Somewhat staid photos accompany the stories, but a very clear message runs through the book: family bonding over food is important.