The perfect remedy after a long day is – arguably – a humble meal and a complementary cup of kopi/teh in the homespun communal space of a hawker centre. Our hawker culture is a defining hallmark of the Singaporean food scene, with practices like idiosyncratic methods of kopi/teh brewing perpetuated through time. Images of these traditional brass Kopi pots are closely associated with our hawker centres for most, reminiscent of a time in the past rich with history surrounding the beginnings of our hawker culture.

Queenstown, with its rising population, was a natural magnet for itinerant hawkers. Many were residents, but a fair sum also came from other parts of Singapore as far as Thomson Road – such as Lim Thiam Choor, who started selling popiah (Hokkien: spring rolls) from his bicycle cart in 1961. Today, the 67-year old is a popiah legend at the food centre in Commonwealth Avenue. It can be said that Singaporeans’ singular passion for food is rooted in the scrumptious street-side hawker fare found everywhere in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The idea for today’s hawker centres, so integral to modern Singapore life, originated from these itinerant hawkers. Their food, in and of itself, had alluring capital, but they sought to capitalise on the potent pull of critical mass by grouping together at certain spots and times. It saved them the effort of moving around; people knew where they were, and they offered seating for their customers. Most of all, the variety and array of food and drinks of all ethnic origins made these stalls a compelling one - stop destination for lunch or dinner.

While the food itself was an attraction, it was the relationships built over the years that pulled people back – even after they had moved out of the area. Goh Chok Tong was one such faithful customer, “Even after I moved out of Queenstown, when I was staying in the Holland Road area, I would still go back there to buy my fruits from the man whom I knew. He is trustworthy, I would never ask him how much the price was. Just chose the fruits and then he would charge me accordingly.”