Losing local food, singaporean lack initiative

[Darthrevan]

fark him lah...who need a foreigner to comment on our local food

蔡澜 is born in Sinkapor

 

 

 

[Jman888]

wowowowowow.................

 

this must be your most worded post in mcf so far (finally you post a wall of text!) [laugh]

 

Food has definitely became worse. In the beginning, there was hawkers. They toiled at their stall all day long. Their customers sit right in front and eat. Customers used to be more bitchy, if the food sucks, the poor hawker kena left-right-center, we call this feedback nowadays. He collects his own dishes, if a lot of food is left over, he will know something is wrong. He is his own boss, if his business is bad, he suffers. There is no control of who sells what on the street, there can be more than 5 char siew noodles on the same street. Only the best survives. Compare this to a modern day foodcourt. There is a reason why foodcourt sucks. When was the last time anyone gives a 'feedback' on foodcourt food when it sucks? When was the last time you have something really nice in foodcourt?

 

In the past, every satellite town has a bus interchange and beside the interchange, a hawker center eg Toa Payoh, Bedok. The many stalls within the hawker center ensures good competition. Now? One damm shopping center with an exclusive foodcourt. If you don't eat that, there is not much choices. Even outside the town cente, there are abundance of coffee shops. Eg. Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh. The new towns? One big Kopitiam in each neigbourhood. While such arrangement ensures highest possible rental, the food quality suffers because of lack of competition. People eat because they have NO CHOICE. We have seen too many mediocre food stalls surviving because they are the ONLY store within the area. You probably have one near your place.

 

Food in Malaysia is much better. Most of them are situated away from housing areas or rather random. People go there because the food is good. If the food sucks, they fold. Simple. It is no wonder that most of the 'good' food in Singapore are situated in less than easily accessible places.

 

Last heard there are plans to re-introduce hawker centers but I have not seen anything so far. We should put a large hawker center beside every town MRT. A 80 stall hawker center beside Northpoint will seriously change the tenancy within. Limit the operators to business owners and Singaporeans. I doubt most of the rubbish food outlets in the shopping center will be able to survive. Then only the cream will rise and all the poops will be replaced. Do that for Woodlands, Bishan, Sengkang, Boon Lay and see how much everything will change.

 

Food is like art. It can only flourish when given a free reign. By controlling and monopolyizing the supply, the policy makers are only killing the food heritage in Singapore.

 

[Lala81]

Food has definitely became worse. In the beginning, there was hawkers. They toiled at their stall all day long. Their customers sit right in front and eat. Customers used to be more bitchy, if the food sucks, the poor hawker kena left-right-center, we call this feedback nowadays. He collects his own dishes, if a lot of food is left over, he will know something is wrong. He is his own boss, if his business is bad, he suffers. There is no control of who sells what on the street, there can be more than 5 char siew noodles on the same street. Only the best survives. Compare this to a modern day foodcourt. There is a reason why foodcourt sucks. When was the last time anyone gives a 'feedback' on foodcourt food when it sucks? When was the last time you have something really nice in foodcourt?

 

In the past, every satellite town has a bus interchange and beside the interchange, a hawker center eg Toa Payoh, Bedok. The many stalls within the hawker center ensures good competition. Now? One damm shopping center with an exclusive foodcourt. If you don't eat that, there is not much choices. Even outside the town cente, there are abundance of coffee shops. Eg. Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh. The new towns? One big Kopitiam in each neigbourhood. While such arrangement ensures highest possible rental, the food quality suffers because of lack of competition. People eat because they have NO CHOICE. We have seen too many mediocre food stalls surviving because they are the ONLY store within the area. You probably have one near your place.

 

Food in Malaysia is much better. Most of them are situated away from housing areas or rather random. People go there because the food is good. If the food sucks, they fold. Simple. It is no wonder that most of the 'good' food in Singapore are situated in less than easily accessible places.

 

Last heard there are plans to re-introduce hawker centers but I have not seen anything so far. We should put a large hawker center beside every town MRT. A 80 stall hawker center beside Northpoint will seriously change the tenancy within. Limit the operators to business owners and Singaporeans. I doubt most of the rubbish food outlets in the shopping center will be able to survive. Then only the cream will rise and all the poops will be replaced. Do that for Woodlands, Bishan, Sengkang, Boon Lay and see how much everything will change.

 

Food is like art. It can only flourish when given a free reign. By controlling and monopolyizing the supply, the policy makers are only killing the food heritage in Singapore.

 

they can build RWS, MBS in 3-4 yrs. But build 1 2 storey hawker center very hard

Since announcing the hawker centers about 1 yr ago, the yishun area one still nice piece of grass patch

Edited May 7, 2013 by Lala81

[The_Bear]

wowowowowow.................

 

this must be your most worded post in mcf so far (finally you post a wall of text!)

 

 

 

I could simplify it to FUG HDB policy makers.

 

And URA, NEA, Land Office who-ever are making the silly decisions.

Edited May 7, 2013 by Bavarian

[Jman888]

There is a reason why foodcourt sucks. When was the last time anyone gives a 'feedback' on foodcourt food when it sucks? When was the last time you have something really nice in foodcourt?

 

 

last time you eat first, pay later, anything bad or not happy, you tell the owner before paying. Food court you pay then eat, who care if you are not happy, they are mostly FT anyway.

 

Not to mention the evil word 'franchise' standard food from central kitchen, you ask them, they say it was delivered in this way, take it or leave it.

 

We can be choosy and choose what and where we want to eat, but after getting disappointed from one place to another, you end up have to travel 20km to get some comfort food. I rather go home jiat loti nowadays.

 

Not surprise when i was at the cancer centre, it was the most crowded area of the whole damn hospital.

[The_Bear]

last time you eat first, pay later, anything bad or not happy, you tell the owner before paying. Food court you pay then eat, who care if you are not happy, they are mostly FT anyway.

 

Not to mention the evil word 'franchise' standard food from central kitchen, you ask them, they say it was delivered in this way, take it or leave it.

 

We can be choosy and choose what and where we want to eat, but after getting disappointed from one place to another, you end up have to travel 20km to get some comfort food. I rather go home jiat loti nowadays.

 

Not surprise when i was at the cancer centre, it was the most crowded area of the whole damn hospital.

 

Food courts are the bane of our food heritage. Put the hawker center back where they belong and let the coffee shop flourish. Foodcourts will be out of business before you can say #@*% HDB. Then they will stop bidding the ridiculous prices and pass on the cost to consumers. Shopping centers will be exactly what the box says - shopping center. Look at the re-furbished Causeway point, seems like 50% are F&B outlet. And all are rather expensive. When most of these are gone, real shops will take over and consumers will have more choices.

[Subutai]

The old veggie fart just farted.

[Adrianli]

Food has definitely became worse. In the beginning, there was hawkers. They toiled at their stall all day long. Their customers sit right in front and eat. Customers used to be more bitchy, if the food sucks, the poor hawker kena left-right-center, we call this feedback nowadays. He collects his own dishes, if a lot of food is left over, he will know something is wrong. He is his own boss, if his business is bad, he suffers. There is no control of who sells what on the street, there can be more than 5 char siew noodles on the same street. Only the best survives. Compare this to a modern day foodcourt. There is a reason why foodcourt sucks. When was the last time anyone gives a 'feedback' on foodcourt food when it sucks? When was the last time you have something really nice in foodcourt?

 

In the past, every satellite town has a bus interchange and beside the interchange, a hawker center eg Toa Payoh, Bedok. The many stalls within the hawker center ensures good competition. Now? One damm shopping center with an exclusive foodcourt. If you don't eat that, there is not much choices. Even outside the town cente, there are abundance of coffee shops. Eg. Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh. The new towns? One big Kopitiam in each neigbourhood. While such arrangement ensures highest possible rental, the food quality suffers because of lack of competition. People eat because they have NO CHOICE. We have seen too many mediocre food stalls surviving because they are the ONLY store within the area. You probably have one near your place.

 

Food in Malaysia is much better. Most of them are situated away from housing areas or rather random. People go there because the food is good. If the food sucks, they fold. Simple. It is no wonder that most of the 'good' food in Singapore are situated in less than easily accessible places.

 

Last heard there are plans to re-introduce hawker centers but I have not seen anything so far. We should put a large hawker center beside every town MRT. A 80 stall hawker center beside Northpoint will seriously change the tenancy within. Limit the operators to business owners and Singaporeans. I doubt most of the rubbish food outlets in the shopping center will be able to survive. Then only the cream will rise and all the poops will be replaced. Do that for Woodlands, Bishan, Sengkang, Boon Lay and see how much everything will change.

 

Food is like art. It can only flourish when given a free reign. By controlling and monopolyizing the supply, the policy makers are only killing the food heritage in Singapore.

 

+1

 

The roast duck/pork hawker was complaining to me the other day. They had to make their own chilli and sauces while the ones at food court sucks n watery.

[Oblong]

check out this thread

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.p...605&page=67

 

Scan through the whole of 65 pages and compare Singapore with Hk and twn.

or even Bangkok for street life.

 

Street life should not be just bright lights and big city, there needs to be a soul that links to peasants' life, connects the masses.

 

Nowadays, there are some big restaurant chain owners approaching f&b as an assembly line, a factory model to food preparation to "increase productivity", improve bottom line. Air con environment is not organic growth. It adds unnecessary overheads and did not improve the basic value proposition -- provide better, tasty food.

 

Ok, it did enhance the experience, but as Covey says:

put first things first and sharpen the saw.

 

[Scion]

There is a reason why foodcourt sucks. When was the last time anyone gives a 'feedback' on foodcourt food when it sucks? When was the last time you have something really nice in foodcourt?

 

 

actually not just food

 

anything that is of public interest but focuses only on revenue and profits will become screwed up sooner or later, be it food, transport, housing, healthcare or education

 

 

anyway last time street hawkers were subjected to di gu and secret society members (protection money)

now stall holders are subjected to soaring rental fees... dunno which is worse

[The_Bear]

actually not just food

 

anything that is of public interest but focuses only on revenue and profits will become screwed up sooner or later, be it food, transport, housing, healthcare or education

 

 

anyway last time street hawkers were subjected to di gu and secret society members (protection money)

now stall holders are subjected to soaring rental fees... dunno which is worse

 

I like to be focused when i am bitchin'

[Whackonly]

Hmmm... quite a little complication here and there... hahaha... i was having a chat with one of the chicken rice shops near my place... It seems that they want their children to do better... That means work in better paying jobs as compare to them and also the fact that nowadays culinary is more of an art... which is evolving....

[Oblong]

i do believe hawker life is hardwork.

 

Twenty years ago, the milestone for a char kway teow hawker is to earn enough to comfortably wear a rolex.

Then some may even earn enough to own a landed property.

I do believe done properly, those are earning an honest living.

 

But somehow, some ruling elites green eye, raise rental, wanted productivity, longer hours .

I remembered some elites commented hawkers worked only morning or lunch time, quite wasteful to the stall actual operation.

When policy makers teach actual biz owners how to run a biz, something is wrong.

Furthermore, the focus has been skewed.

 

Some hawkers really have pride to provide good food, but somehow daily grinding / high rentals slowly wear down the dream.

 

It is good that there are makansutra or foodie network honouring hawker masters. More needs to be done, not only the positive motivation, but improving the system too. Btw, i don't think ntuc foodfare is a panacea. Let hundred flowers bloom, let those who are interested and proud to cook food be the owners, and not some big bro behind armed with mba to lead.

 

High rental is definitely a sure-fire way to boil a frog, and it is happening in hk too.

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article...-congee-noodles