There’s perhaps nothing more Singaporean than devouring the multitude of food we have at our hawker centres, which recently made the UNESCO Heritage List.
But behind the delicacies lie a lot of grit and hard work, which YouTuber couple 聪生家SG Chengdu Family showed in a video they recorded at Bedok South Food Centre.
Following hawkers’ routines which often start before sunrise, their video shines a light on a side of Singapore even locals rarely see.
In the video by SG Chengdu Family, you can see hawker uncles and aunties pushing carts around and getting ready for the day.
While you may occasionally see the above in the afternoon or evening, this is a sight at 4am, at Bedok South Market & Food Centre.
The YouTuber couple from Chengdu, China, living in Singapore, recorded the morning routine at Yong Hua You Tiao and You&Me Coffee.
Currently run by its second-generation owner, Yong Hua You Tiao has been around for 40 years.
Speaking to the YouTuber over a cigarette break, the hawker frankly admits he works 13 to 14 hours on a regular day. Explaining how he’s able to get up early every day, he says,
“On my off days, the alarm clock in my body would still wake up around 12-2am as usual.”
When asked about what goes best with you tiao, he quips,
apart from Bak Kut Teh, Mee Rebus is good too. Laksa [is] also good, soya milk, beancurd definitely. There’s…too many.
The owner of You&Me Coffee which used to be at Ang Mo Kio, meanwhile starts getting ready at 4.45am every morning.
According to her, all the bread needs to be freshly cut in the morning, or it loses its fragrance.
Sharing how she has honed her tea-pulling skills, she says,
“To pull it longer, it probably takes 2 to 3 months.”
Clearly, besides adapting to the long hours, their work also requires much dedication and skill. Hats off to them for putting in all that effort, day in and day out.
We’d like to extend our gratitude to the countless hawkers hard at work to keep our stomachs happy.
Thanks to their early mornings and long hours, we can have a warm and hearty breakfast, comforting lunch and delightful dinner.
We’d also like to thank the YouTuber couple for documenting a flavour of Singapore not known to many. Here’s to hoping we can all contribute to keep our hawker culture alive.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at hello@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from YouTube.
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