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A woman pours the dressing on the "yusheng" -- a traditional Lunar New Year dish -- at a hawker centre in Singapore. With the Lunar New Year less than two weeks away, more families are turning to alternative venues, besides restaurants and their homes, to hold their traditional reunion dinners. "We also went to the restaurants but then we are expected to finish our dinner within that timing”, said Teh Siong Koon, a customer at a hawker centre. “We don't feel that type of comfort and relaxing mood, enjoying our reunion dinner. That's why this year we're trying something new and trying out in the hawker centre." Some hawkers Channel NewsAsia spoke to say they are selling traditional Lunar New Year dishes, such as “yusheng” and “pen cai”, just for this festive period. A hawker at Chinatown said he has already received more than 100 orders for reunion dinner meals and New Year dishes. Customers say having a reunion meal at the hawker centre saves them the hassle of cooking at home, and not having to stick to a fixed menu like in a restaurant is another draw. Price is also another factor. “The food here has more variety. The elders and the children have more choice. You don't actually have to follow the menu from the restaurant. And prices wise it's quite a big difference,” said Richard Lee, another customer at a hawker centre. “In restaurants, you'll probably need four, five hundred dollars for a set menu for 10 persons but here, probably… less than a hundred. You can actually have some very good food. You'll have my favourites -- char siew or turtle soup. You don't have to eat abalone or shark's fin." Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/more-families-having/958996.html

ginna pi so rich today? everyday can eat at cafes, restaurants and foodcourts? and what's up about the hygiene? i eat at different hawker centres all my 30+ life, and i still grow up big and strong [shakehead] hawker food and hawker centres are already part of our Singapore culture and identity... hope they won't disappear in the future (like the street hawkers in the previous generations)