Singapore will nominate hawker culture for inscription into Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Every day, more than 6,000 cooked food hawkers produce an assortment of mouth-watering dishes at about 110 hawker centres in Singapore.
If the bid is successful, Singapore's hawker culture will join the likes of Malaysia's Mak Yong theatre from Kelantan, Indonesia's batik and India's yoga on the world stage. Started in 2008, the list, which has about 400 elements to date, sets out to demonstrate the diversity of world heritage and ensure their protection.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called hawker centres Singapore's "community dining rooms" that are a unique part of the country's heritage and identity.
He described the Singapore Botanic Gardens' inscription as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2015 as a proud moment for the country. Putting Singapore's hawker culture on the list of intangible cultural heritage will "help to safeguard and promote this unique culture for future generations". He added: "It will also let the rest of the world know about our local food and multicultural heritage."
The organisations fronting the bid - National Heritage Board (NHB), the National Environment Agency and the Federation of Merchants' Associations Singapore - said hawker culture was selected because it has shaped the Singaporean identity in many ways.
For instance, hawker centres function as accessible multi-ethnic spaces where people can feast on a wide variety of multi-generational and multicultural food offerings that have evolved with the times.
The culture is built on the hard work, knowledge and culinary techniques and traditions of dedicated hawkers past and present.
Singapore's hawkers started out as migrants who peddled their food on streets and sidewalks. They were moved into more sanitary purpose-built facilities by the Government from the 1970s. Hawker centres are still being built today and by 2027, a total of 127 hawker centres will dot the landscape.
Ever since then, Malaysians are questioning if Singapore would stop at claiming "nasi lemak and curry laksa as their own". Facebook user Chris Whata said that South-east Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam have a more authentic hawker culture.
"In terms of hawker food, I think Thailand and Indonesia are the most vibrant ones," Fikri Hasim added.
"Apparently they continuing to claim "hawkers' as their culture too? I guess soon enough everything under the sun would be their food and culture," wrote by Facebook user Sarimah Samad-Imran.
Other Facebook users also commented and said that Penang food is the best.
"I went to a Ramadan Bazaar in Singapore last year. It is a joke. Overpriced with a lack of traditional food and too much hipster food," commented by Hamzah Hashim.
source: straittimes.com, ohmychannel.com