Conclusion

 

Food is central to the government’s social planning and tourism strategies.  Hawkers have evolved to fit in with the authority's urbanisation planning.  This has involved cleaning up the food service methods and relocating the once-nomadic hawkers into Singapore’s efficient housing estates. The hawkers are a symbol of Singaporean society and they are looked upon fondly in recognition of their hard-working lifestyles in less than ideal situations.

 

Hawker centre consumers reveal a great cross-section of society from local residents looking for their daily fix, expats looking for an economic meal, or tourists wanting to try an authentic experience. The food that they are sampling has most likely been impacted by the hybridisation of the different cultures that make up Singapore.  

 

While the government has tried a number of initiatives to preserve the hawking heritage and culture, a shift towards healthy eating and the influence of western fast food cuisine, has put the future of the traditional hawker centres in jeopardy. Changes to traditional hawker fare, including western cuisines and stalls catering to modern food trends, maybe one way of evolving the hawker industry in the future.