Deep Dive Podcast: Singapore’s hawker culture can thrive but we need to embrace that it is evolving, says Grace Fu

So there are three parties that need to come (together) and have some social compact. What is the role of the patron? What’s the role of the government in providing facilities like this, and what’s the role of a hawker in providing affordable, tasty, delicious food. I think this has to come to equilibrium that’s acceptable to all three parties.

Crispina: 
Yeah, but we always have this mentality that hawker food always has to be affordable.

Steven:
But what do you mean by affordable? Because with inflation, things get more expensive each year. But your S$3.50 bowl of noodles, it still exists today … which to me, doesn’t make sense.

Minister Fu:
(Hawkers) actually don’t raise their prices often. They don’t raise it every year. Their costs have gone up. So sometimes, I think in the last one, two years, we do see them adjusting. But hey, have they been adjusting throughout all the years, or have they made adjustments once every five years, or once every 10 years?  

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