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In Singapore, where the obsession with food is great, being a tough eater is not a fault of character. It's a national hobby.
Nowhere is this passion more visible than in the city's open-air food markets, known as hawker centers, where sellers spend decades perfecting one or two distinct dishes, from sugar cane juice to heaps of steaming noodles, all for just a few dollars per plate. .
The Hawker centers are so Singaporean that almost every neighborhood has one, reports Christina Ruffini of CBS News. Tiong Bahru is one of the oldest and a favorite of locals Lilly Lim and Stefan Loe.
"In Singapore, if you go to a hawker center and you want to find something really good, just look for the longest line," Loe said.
Some stands, although humble, have even received Michelin stars. Despite their loyal clientele, hawkers' centers are becoming less popular, especially among young people who tend to prefer the glitzy and upscale restaurants of the Central Business District – and their central air conditioning.
Vendors at hawker centers spend decades perfecting one or two distinct dishes
CBS News
"I blame Instagram, if it's not on Instagram, it does not exist," said KF Seetoh, an expert in heritage gastronomy and a falconer evangelist.
The food may not necessarily be photogenic, but Seetoh said Singapore would lose an essential part of its culture if hawkers closed their stalls.
"It's a place where Singapore comes to celebrate not only food, but also Singapore – if you come here for lunch, it's filled with people, and they make fun of who you are … even our prime minister the tail for his food, "Seetoh said.
CBS News
In an effort to help preserve these places, and possibly to skip the line, the Prime Minister's government has proposed falconers' culture on the United Nations list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Launched in 2008, this distinguished alignment includes more than 400 world traditions, including Indian yoga and Neapolitan pizza.
But the decline in popularity is not the only problem.
"He has been doing it for 30 years, all his children have all grown up, graduated … none of his kids will do it when he comes in. So when he leaves, it'll all go," he said. declared Seetoh.
Fortunately, there are a lot of young hawkers who are eager to take the free seat. Young entrants like Kai, who dropped a job in sales to open the Roast Paradise pork stall on the old Airport Road. At 10 dollars a plate, its price is one of the most expensive dishes of peddlers, but also one of the best.
But for Singaporeans to keep going, Lilly and Stefan said it was important to find new chefs interested in peddling. And although they enjoy international acclaim, the hawker centers will disappear if they do not continue to offer this island of cooking enthusiasts fanatical gourmets exactly what they're looking for: a exceptionally elaborate food at an incredible price.
