Singapore: The Ultimate Asian Fusion Experience
It was a balmy summer evening when I met my client for dinner at his office in Singapore. Known for his brilliant business mind, he’s also a bona fide international foodie, living and working across London, Bangalore, and Singapore. I wondered which Michelin-starred restaurant he would choose for us to catch up on business and discuss his company’s promising growth strategy.
As we exited his office and walked around the block, I encountered something I had never seen before: an enormous outdoor food hall packed with diners and waiters carrying heaps of food and thirst-quenching beverages. My client grinned from ear to ear and proclaimed, “We will enjoy a traditional Singaporean dinner tonight!” He then darted off into the throng of food stalls and vanished.
A few minutes later, he returned, lugging frosty mugs of beer, sweat beads dripping down his cheeks and neck. Never had a beer tasted so good! Moments later, our servers arrived with heaping platters of smoking chicken and beef satay skewers—enough to feed a flock of Aussie tourists. But that was just the beginning. More satays continued to arrive, including squid skewers and mounds of pink, shell-on shrimp. Our host smiled and laughed, “This is Singapore!” A wonderfully situated island where spices and flavors blend just like its multi-ethnic population of Chinese, Indian, and Malay citizens.
He then pointed to the market’s framework, a majestic Victorian-era clocktower—now a historical monument to its British colonial past—housing hungry business people, locals, and tourists alike.
Hawker markets in Singapore originated in the 19th and early 20th centuries as a way for immigrant communities to make a living by selling affordable street food. Over time, these markets evolved into organized hawker centers under government initiatives aimed at improving hygiene and urban planning. Today, hawker centers are a cornerstone of Singaporean culture, offering a vibrant blend of diverse cuisines that reflect the nation's multicultural heritage. In 2020, Singapore's hawker culture was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, acknowledging the unique and integral role that hawker markets play in Singapore's social and cultural identity.
