Dr Leslie Tay is a general practitioner, photographer, blogger and one of the leading food authorities in Singapore. He is better known by his moniker “ieat” and has spent almost a decade roaming around Singapore in search of the best hawker food. You can find his pictures and stories on his award-winning food blog, ieatishootipost.sg.

It's Really The End of Char Kway Teow!

I have been sounding the alarm about the impending demise of Char Kway Teow for quite a few years now. It's fate was encapsulated in the title of my first book The End of Char Kway Teow, which was published in 2010.

Since then, not much progress has been made and my recent interview with the owner of Armenian Street Char Kway Teow only uncovered more bad news for this iconic Singaporean dish.

I have been saying that Char Kway Teow is facing an uncertain future because there may not be anyone who is able to fry a decent plate of Char Kway Teow when the last of our Char Kway Teow masters retire. There just doesn't seem to be many young hawkers willing to train in the art of swashbuckling with the wok.

The reason for this is mainly economic, since Char Kway Teow is not as easily profitable as other hawker dishes. The ingredients in Char Kway Teow are simple and relatively cheap and the secret to a great Char Kway Teow lies in the wok skills of hawker. Other hawker dishes like chicken rice can be made in a central kitchen and delivered to several hawker stalls.

So, we do see many young people entering the chicken rice business. Char Kway Teow, on the other hand, is not as easily scalable and there is a limit to the number of plates any hawker can produce in a day. And because the ingredients are perceived as cheap, no hawker can sell a plate of Char Kway Teow for more than $5 no matter how well it is fried.

I interviewed Mr Tan Soo Kiat who now helms the flagship stall of Armenian Street Char Kway Teow which has been around since 1949.

He tells me that Si Hum Kway Teow, as Char Kway Teow used to be known, was the most popular hawker dish in the old days.

However, it has been suffering a decline in popularity over the last three decades.

I have always attributed the impending demise of Char Kway Teow to the lack of hawkers willing to fry the dish. However, after speaking to Mr Tan, I begin to realise that the problem is much bigger.

Mr Tan tells me that in any given week, he would have less than 10 young people patronising his stall.  

If this trend continues, it wouldn't matter if there weren't any good Char Kway Teow hawkers around in 30 years' time, since there will be no one who would actually want to eat it!

The decline in the popularity of Char Kway Teow is a conundrum especially when you consider that Chai Tau Kueh is still doing quite well.

Both dishes are quite similar, being a staple made from rice and fried with eggs and black sauce. But while Chai Tau Kueh is still quite popular with the kids, I have actually met teenagers who have never eaten Char Kway Teow before!

And so, if you haven't already heard it loud and clear already, I will say it again: It is really "THE END OF CHAR KWAY TEOW"!

But, it might not matter all that much, because at SG100, there would only be a handful of Singaporeans who can still remember what a good plate of Char Kway Teow is supposed to taste like.

So, if you love Char Kway Teow, do eat up now because all the Char Kway Teow masters are nearing retirement age!

And parents, the next time you visit the hawker centre, do take the opportunity to introduce your kids to the dish.

Who knows, we might still be able to experience a Char Kway Teow renaissance that will secure its place in the hawker centre of the future!

What do you think about the future of Char Kway Teow and our other hawker dishes? Do you think Char Kway Teow will still be around at SG100? Will hipster cafes continue to proliferate and one day take over the place of our coffeeshops and hawker centres?

Join us for our eTownhall chat on March 2, 2016, on Twitter at 9.30pm and let your views be heard!

Armenian St Char Kway Teow is located at Blk 303 Anchorvale Link.

Opened from 11.30am to 7.30pm. Closed Thursdays.

*This post fuels Mothership.sg so our writers don’t have to beg for a living (which is probably not allowed anyway.)