Global panel recommends Singapore's hawker culture be added to Unesco

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/global-panel-recommends-singapores-hawker-culture-to-be-added-to-unesco-list

HAWKER CULTURE SINGAPORE

Origins of Hawker

- Traces back to Early Immigrants, to be able to have a ready market of consumers with generally lower capital outlay without prerequisites of certifications. 

- The mobility of the stalls gave rise to "Hawking" where it is defined as Touting to Attract Customer in a Portable Stall.

- Hawkers would gather in Cross Junctions to maximize the Traffic Coverage therefore "Hawker Centre".

- 1971 first Government Built Legal Official Hawker Centre to consolidate the Hawkers in 1 area to operate legally with license such that they do not have to face problems of "protection money" while cleaning up the Sanitation of Streets. 

- Initially, people hated Hawker Centre Buildings as it lost the flexibility of travelling and have to travel far for Hawker Centre.

- It took us until 1986 before the last Hawker was resettled to a Hawker Centre

Characteristics of Hawker

- Caters to many Social Classes

- Becomes a Lifestyle 

- Where humans interact and mingle

- Topic of Conversations 

- Choice of Meeting Venue (social)

- Entrepreneur without Certification / Capital

- Innovative Creation of Food due to Space Constraints 

- Laissez-Faire Economy

- Upholding Intangible Legacy

- Part of the Ecosystem of Agriculture Locally, Regionally and Internationally

Hawker as a National Identity

- 114 Hawker Centres today, dependency on it in a Socio-Economical sense

- Display of Globalized Nation with Innovative Amalgamation of Food Culture

- In a cacophony of sounds and action, Hawker has stitched into the social fabric of Singapore

- This represent cultural creativity, and cultural exchange of human values in the Oral Traditions of Culinary Art

- It involves through time, invites platforms for Hawkerpreneurs, for continuity through Upward Mobility

- Testimony of Urbanization (Sanitary, Facilities, Urban Landscaping, Employment)

- Fun Fact : Instant Food is one of the 1st item cleared during the Pandemic, partly due to dependency on Hawker

International Recognition of Hawker

- Culinary Skills (Gordon Ramsay Hawker Cook Off)

- Michelin Guide (Plate, Bib Gourmand, Star)

- BBC / Netflix / CNA Documentaries 

- Submission for UNESCO 

When Michelin is concerned, a Michelin Hawker strips all the fancy ambience and service to the bare minimum of "Good Food". Master of Culinary Skills, Understanding of Flavours, Unique Personality of the Dish, Consistency, are among the criteria. Food is not just about 

UNESCO doesn't require the Contested Heritage Site to be original, because nothing in Singapore is truly original. But whether or not it defines our National Identity and therefore matches the criteria is probably more important. Can we Singapore survive without Hawker? Cost of Living will increase again, higher unemployment rates due to higher entry barrier for skilled labours, lost of Oral Traditions and Culture passed down through Hawker Food. What can we benefit from UNESCO? More recognition to attract tourists to give them a try, more support for Hawkerpreneur to operate and enjoy subsidized rental of stalls, more National Pride.

Freedom finally! After 2 weeks within 4 walls! 

Well, again another update. So my Dad is the Covid Positive Patient working as Security Officer at Changi Airport, receiving treatment at TTS now. As for recovery progress, it seems like it's not very good because of other Health Complications. And to make things worst, his pessimist mindset probably placed some placebo effects too. So I guess, we can only hope....... I mean, 50,000 recovery cases, I don't see why the big fuss is all about.

Luckily though his life routine is "Workplace-Coffeeshop-Home", unlike myself, I cant imagine the contact tracing if I am positive, the industry will shutdown hahahhas, too much at stake. 

So anyway, served my Quarantine Order at Hilton Garden Inn Little India, 23 Oct to 06 Nov, swab results Negative both on first day and last day of QO. 

Experience is boring. But coping way better than Circuit Breaker. Binge watching Netflix, Variety Shows, and MeWatch. Attended online day courses as it becomes more available. Grabfood is available so been ordering food every supper, thats the perks of being in rather heart of city. Service is great by Hotel. Welfare check everyday. Boring part is cant step out of room. Skin is getting dry due to aircon. But thus no need for any maintenance cuz no shaver no nail clippers no lighters no sharp objects. Other than zoom, no need for clothes too 

So then now that Im finally out, impulse splurge on myself. Booked One Farrer Skyline Suite for a night, and booked for Spa, Movies and a Scrumptious meal. Not the most wallet-friendly but I guess my mum deserves some luxury now and then la. 

Ofcoz, we talked about business too, about how the world is changing fast, AI taking over, and the importance of Transferable Skills and Personal Branding or Connections over Technical Skills and Traditional Career Progression Model. I am pretty sure that in the future where information is easily available online and precision or production is easily done by automation, bosses no longer are interested in investing on humans to deal with all the human factor but rather investing on a controllable predictable robot. So they would probably only hire people if their reputation is good. That means visionary skills, leadership skills, foresight skills. Or involvement in many many successful projects. 

Therefore I am truly grateful how this nation starts to shift the education framework to criterion based, a decade ago, gradually from tertiary to secondary and now to primary schools. While I personally do not believe in not having bell curve because I think that we should teach people how to fail, whats the feeling of being loser, instead of bubbling them, but I guess the negative consequences from pressure weights more than the nurturing of resilience. Oh well, there are other ways, enrichment, sports, etc. So back to the point, we are all working towards a holistic development future, where transferable skills are valued more than anything, problem solving and critical thinking, prepared us for AI industry. I am truly amazed.

Then is about some business acumen here and there. I was just thinking about inheriting the Lapis recipe for mum to do it myself because firstly is heritage, secondly, their reluctance to step out of comfort zone irritates me alot. I guess that is the reason Im probably the poorest pathethic indonesian chinese you know. My entire family has history of being cheated, of not innovating, of clinging on to hopeless matters, and all......... Cant blame them. Its fate, its generation, its trauma for them. And here I am, trying to make things work, but doesnt seem to go anywhere from here. I can only hope. But its tiring, trying to prove, but the result is not showing, and constantly, their simple-minded-brains are taking things too superficially and idealistically against their set of expired utopia. 

 It has been 2 months. 2 very busy months. 

So a little update, so I quit Monster Day Tours for good, joined Lets Go full time, to develop my own tours, to decide on the resources I need, with support with the marketing and other backend. It's an "ownself feed ownself" model. Working on this team for 2 months, I started to feel like this is a home I never had. I really enjoyed the dynamics and creative control I have, but that being said, I always felt I have done not well enough to reignite the drive and the passion of the existing team. Nevertherless, we need a breakthrough, a paradigm shift, to trail braze uncharted waters. So I felt that the only way this could grow is when I prove that Domestic Tourism could work, then perhaps the team could then grow, motivated and swift.

So I handle the Educational Tours for Domestic Audience and Private Themed Tours for International Arrivals; C should spearhead Lets Go Cook, a series of Cooking Classes series with Tour Element; and also D in to spearhead a Theatrical Tour, so storytelling way to convey historical events and facts; A to develop the Bicycle Tours with themes, and R to focus on Boat. So far, many hiccups, but in a way, a little silver lining at every misfortunes we had, pretty much like this Pandemic. Im for once hopeful, of a brighter 2021. 

The hindrance I had now, is that Dad is tested Covid Positive, recovering in TTS now. Not recovering well, seems like he has high accumulation of Covid. He doesnt sound optimistic since his fever is periodical. So I'm under Quarantine Order till 7 Nov at Hilton Inn Little India. Myself, my Swab on 24th Oct Noon resulted Negative, pending on more at the end of QO. Really lucky to be Negative, else my industry would shut down. 

So filling my time with more courses as usual, and watching random webinars and all. Binged watched lots of drama, including a 73 episodes series I finished in 3 days. Food wise, so far so good, but my spoilt stomach made me order grab for every supper and sometimes breakfast too. Sigh, it's like CB all over again but Im coping a lot better now, ironically, with lesser freedom. At least my mind is still sane. But well, hopefully the situation gets better, 50,000 recovery, please be another full recovery........ im not ready for more responsibilities yet. Aissshhhh que sera sera, whatever will be will be........