Moses Lim is known for his role as Tan Ah Teck in popular sitcom Under One Roof.

However, the local actor is also known for his gourmet career, which started as early as 1993.

Although Lim has been relatively low-profile in recent years, he hosted the Hawker Spotlight 2019 event on July 26 at Golden Mile Food Centre, as part of the Singapore Food Festival (SFF).

He introduced what went on behind-the-scenes at these six stalls in the hawker centre:

• Ah Xiao Teochew Braised Duck
• Da Po Hainanese Chicken Rice & Curry Chicken Noodles
• Golden Mile Fish Porridge and Seafood Soup
• Golden Mile Special Young Tau Foo
• Wedang
• Zhao An Granny Grass Jelly

Responsibility to represent hawker

Even though Lim is semi-retired, he feels that it is his responsibility to represent local food, especially ones that come from hawker centres.

To him, the hawker culture is one that is very special in Singapore.

And it's not just because of the affordable pricing or the variety of food.

"Every table at a hawker centre usually has lots of different food. Hawker centres are special because it is opened almost around the clock. You can't find this in the rest of the world."

Difference in hawker centres

At 67 years old, Lim said that he has been to plenty of hawker centres.

In fact, he shared that back in the 80s, his old office was located right in front of Golden Mile Food Centre, the same hawker centre where he hosted this year's edition of Hawker Spotlight.

And he has noticed a lot of changes that have happened since then.

This includes better customer service, which he believes is attributed to the "revamped" kitchen equipment and "higher" hygiene standard:

"Nowadays, they are more helpful and friendly. Last time nobody bothered about that (customer service) because they don't have the facilities to be happy (with)."

Chicken and egg problem

He also likened the difficulties that hawkers face, like increase in food price for example, to a "chicken and egg" problem.

If the price of hawker fare remains the same for years, they may not be able to make a profit.

But some patrons may be put off if hawkers increase the price of their food. However, Lim stressed that "affordable" doesn't necessarily have to mean cheap.

In a bid to help Singaporeans understand the plight of hawkers, Lim said:

"Hawkers are people that cannot control the cost of supplies. Once (the price of) an ingredient goes up, they have no choice."

On the flip side, Lim also reasoned that hawkers should plan accordingly:

"The government gives you the choice to bid for stalls. So if you bid so high, you make sure you can survive. If you can't, then that's your fault."

Hawker culture lives on

Despite that, he is confident that hawker centres will live on for the generations to come, solely because of the love Singaporeans have for hawker food.

He shares that a lot of hawker stalls are manned by second and even third-generation hawkers and some stalls are even started by younger people.

However, he still considers Singaporeans "fortunate" to be able to eat what we enjoy at affordable prices in Singapore.

"You have to encourage the hawkers so they can hopefully maintain their quality. If you like them, you have to patronise them more and tell them you love their food."

Top image by Gareth Chew