Memories of Food Vendors and Games in the 1950s

  There were three amusement parks, each adopting the suffix 'world'. There was New World, Great World and Happy World. They were operating concurrently between 1920s and 1960s and in their place today are residential units and large commercial complexes.City Square is where New World used to be and Great World City is on the site which was the Great World. The 'Worlds' were places that attracted a wide cross-section of society, and provided various forms of entertainment. They flourished as there were hardly any recreational distractions at the time, apart from radio broadcasts and programmes from a commercial cable radio service known as Rediffusion. The 'Worlds' provided some respite to the hard lives that many had to endure. There were shops , eateries ranging from hawker stalls to fancy restaurants that were popular for wedding banquets, cinemas, cabarets with live bands and dance halls , and night clubs with live shows. In the cabarets and dance halls,...

 In those days, there were few toys available in shops, and nothing much to appeal to the youths in my community which was largely made up of working class families. The affluent could afford toys such as Meccano engineering sets. Board games such as the Western and Chinese chess, and draughts were easily available and affordable. However, these games did not appeal to the more adventurous teenagers. They were more interested in toys that could be used as 'weapons' to play among themselves or to shoot at birds. One such popular toy was the catapult. The game of Chapteh was normally played by younger kids. The skills require were not complex and also there were no 'trophies' to be won. It was purely a sporting contest among participants. The only piece of equipment needed was the ' chapteh' (somewhat similar to a shuttle cock) The challenge was for each contestant to keep the ' chapteh' aloft with his feet. The players would keep count on the number of ...

  One  season that drew keen interest each year as it came along was the kite season . This was during the October to December months which coincided with the North-East monsoon when the stronger wind conditions were ideal for flying the paper kites. This season had a larger following than the others, as it drew participation not only  among the youths but also some adults. There were essentially two categories of kite flyers, There were those who flew mainly ornamental kites for the sheer pleasure of watching them aloft at great heights. Some of these ornamental kites were very decorative with a variety of patterns and attachments such as long trailing tails. There were also names for some patterns, such as "chap sotong"  (pattern resembling cuttle fish based on the Malay word  " sotong"  for cuttle fish). Or   "chap dumb dumb"  (resembling the pattern on draught boards, as the Malay name for the game of draughts is " dumb") The ornamemtal ...

 For many youths, the afternoone were predominantly devoted to recreational pursuits. There were traditional sports like athletics, and games such as soccer, badminton, hockey, table tennis and basketball. These were usually organised and conducted in schools which had the necessary facilities and equipment.  Away from the school environment, there were the "seasonal games" Different periods of the year were designated for games such as kite flying, top spinning contests, marble competitions. There were even seasons for spider fighting and fish fighting .  Participatns stuck very closely to the game of the season. Although there were no exact dates to mark the start and end of each season, there seemed to to be communal agreements on such issues! Somehow, everyone knew what season was on, and if it was the marble season, that was the only game played. Likewise  if was the season for kite flying, there would  be focus on this particular activity and nothing els...

  [Editor:Although the photo shows a hawker centre that was built in the sixties in the vicinity of Farrer of Park, the  food stalls previously lining the street near this football field was a big attraction to the area as well.] I used to live in the vicinity of Farrer Park. It was a huge park which had been in fact a horse-racing track before this activity was relocated to Bukit Timah Turf Club (which is now Turf City and soon to be the location of new HDB flats) There were numerous soccer pitches in the Park, and every afternoon there were matches to watch,  attracting sizeable crowds. It was the place to be at with soccer matches to watch and where food and refreshments were easily available. It was a time when soccer was purely a recreational activity, and the participants were indulging in it for the sheer joy of the game. The size of the crowd of spectators at each pitch was indicative of where the best action would be.  Apart from enjoying the game, spectator...

  The Soya Sauce Hawker I recall another hawker specialising in soy products such as sauces and soya bean paste and fermented soya beans. He had a comprehensive range of sauces from light to dark and sweet to savoury, varying in quality, quantity and price. He also carried a number of fermented soya bean items. These were probably sourced in bulk from factories here, and possibly in Malaya, and re-packaged into quantities more suited for home consumption. His weekly visit was much anticipated. Apart from replenishing the normal soy stock in homes, housewives would seek him out for his special selection of soya items which housewives believed to be far superior to those produced by factories. He had personally created these speciality items and they were touted to be far superior in taste and flavour. I was quite fascinated in the the way he dispensed the sauces.  He had a pump to siphon varying amounts of the sauces into bottles handed to him by the housewives, or provided by ...

  You are looking at a delivery service in the 1950s! Around midnight, a cyclist would patrol the street,  ringing his bicycle bell to announce the availability of his popular pork, chicken and fish porridge. It was indeed a pleasant sound for the hungry and habitual supper crowd.There was apparently a large enough clientele waiting to fill up their stomachs before they could get down to sleep.  People who resided in the upper floors of buildings usually had wicker baskets tied to strings to lower them to the vendor's helper. The orders, together with the cash amounts due would be placed in the baskets. It was convenient and safe, and it was a unique service! I had never seen the stall itself as it must have been stationed away from my residence. Usually the used cutleries were returned the day after, simply by leaving them outside the house for the helper to retrieve them. With most of the population living in high rise apartment blocks today, I wonder what his tasks wou...

  One other very charismatic hawker was the Loh Kai Yit man. This stall was unique as the man did not use a pushcart. Instead he used a trishaw and also had a personal rider. We understood his predicament as he was handicapped with only one good leg. He could not possible use a pushcart nor could he ride a tricycle. He had a huge pot over a charcoal stove mounted on the trishaw and he sat down to serve the customers. His dish of braise meat with his special sauce was a delicacy , and perhaps one that is probably lost [Editor: Loh Kai Yit  is a Cantonese braised dish with rich gravy and ingredients like Chicken wings ( kai yit ). pork belly, pig skin and offal along with other items like cuttle fish and taupok  often braised in a fermented bean curd-based sauce.] One very innovative vendor was the braised duck seller who was known for his special Tau Kuah Pau.  (best described as  bean curd pouches stuffed with diced braised pork, innards, fish cake and prawn ca...

 A much-awaited vendor was the one selling desserts. His routine was one visit a week, and his arrival was much anticipated. The quinessential hawker took great pride in his pushcart which was immaculate. The pots and ladles he used were all made of brass, and they were always highly polished. It was obvious that he took pains to keep his stall spick and span. He was also meticulous in dishing out orders. He took pains to ensure that every bowl he sold had exact quantities of the ingredients. That earned him the nickname " countng seeds" which aptly described him as an exacting hawker counting the number of pieces of his offerings to the last seed. I am not quite sure whether his behavior was profit driven. I would surmise that it grew out of his meticulous ways. He had two powerful pressure lamps to light up his stall and the lights from these brought out the shine of his utensils. I got to know that he used tamarind to polish his brassware as he could not possibly use chemi...

The South Indian delicacy Vadai (or Vada or Wadeh or Bara), and  Idiyapam (or Putu Mayam in Malay or String Hoppers) are perennial favorites, not just among the Indian community, but equally enjoyed by the Chinese, Malays and the Eurasians. Their popularity has brought about a variety of names probably due to distorted versions of its original name in the Tamil language when pronounced by other ethnic communities. The Vadai resembles a doughnut and is often offered with onions and/or pawns embedded in the dough which is then deep-fried. There is another  version of the Vadai which is made entirely of lentils. However this version does not resemble the doughnut, as it is a circular lump with no hole in the centre.These delicacies are snacks, and their popularity has not waned. The Vadai is best savoured with fresh crunchy green chillies. One bite of the Vadai followed by one bite of chilly is the way to eat it!  The Idiyapam is usually eaten with fresh grated coconut an...

  I recall a hawker who sold haberdashery goods, commonly referred to as "Jarum" (meaning needle in Malay). It was essentially a stall that catered to the needs of housewives who took to sewing perhaps clothes for their families. In the fifties, many items of clothing that are now commonplace and easily available were not found in shops, and had to be tailored. Basic items like underclothes were usually home tailored, and housewives had to undertake the task , as it would not have been thinkable to have underclothing tailored by professionals and having to pay for the service. There were also those who took needlework and tailoring as hobbies and took their pleasures or indulgences to a much higher plane by using and honing their skills to produce exquisite pieces of work such as quilting, embroidery work on garments, or merely creating fashionable clothes. This particular hawker had for sale threads of all hues and thicknesses, and for the hobbyists and tailoring enthusiast...

  The early post-war years were lean years, and families had to eke out incomes for their survival. It was quite normal for several members of a family to be working, including children! Jobs were scarce and opportunities rare. Many turned to street hawking, selling household goods such as cleaning brushes, feather dusters, broom, pails, and rattan baskets. Items such as long bamboo poles for drying laundry would be cumbersome if they had to be carried home from shops. It was definitely more convenient and practical for housewives to purchase such items from these street vendors. These hawkers were mindful that the items they were selling would not need quick replenishments and they would space out their visits to ensure that their ensuing visits would be timed to serve the needs of their customers. They would plan their destinations and routes for each day accordingly. The usual mode of transport for these hawkers was the tricycle with a cart mounted on it. It was a wonder that e...

  It was the Fifties, a few years after Britain had regained control over Singapore after the 2nd World War. Survival was very much on every bread earner's mind. Jobs were not easily available and competition for an opening was often keen. What then could they do? The only option was to go into business and be self-employed. Soon there was a proliferation of enterprising entrepreneurs running small businesses.  One such business was the neighbourhood provision shop . Such shops played an essential role to supplement the "wet markets". Housewives would shop for fresh food items at the markets but when it came to household items , they would inevitably head for these shops. One interesting feature about these shops was that they would provide customers with carrier bags made out of used newspapers. The plastic bag was non-existent then. Home delivery was an integral service provided to customers. This was done with bicycles or tricycles with carts Housing was not as organ...

  This is an project by TAN KIM SWEE "to recall memorable scenarios and experiences on life as I knew it, more than half a century ago. It is a collection of snippets of memories of places, happenings and personalities that have withstood the passage of time in my mind. They are purely my own observations, recollections and reflections of places, people and the activities they found themselves performing either out of necessity to eke out a living, or as entrepreneurial or recreational pursuits. What I have been able to recall and recount are these that have left a greater impression on me." "To a large extent, life in Singapore half a century ago was rather idyllic without the distractions that we have today. Life to a large extent gravitated within communities, and social interactions among the residents were cordial and frequent, perhaps even on a daily basis. However the presence of street vendors and hawkers , some from other communities were a regular feature and c...