On our Singabites food tours we take great care to make sure that everyone has a safe and hygienic experience. For many people who visit Singapore the eating can be a bit strange. In Singapore, as in all Asian countries we do a lot of eating on the street. To some guests from western countries this can be a bit intimidating. Fear not for this is Singapore and we take hygiene very seriously here.
Hawker Centres. Keeping our food safe and clean.
One of our most favourite place to eat in Singapore are our hawker centres. In post war Singapore the government decided that one way to keep the city clean would be to create areas dedicated to the cooking and eating of food. These new hawker centres would house the food vendors that up until then were roaming the streets selling food. Electricity and water supplies were subsidised. And many people found work in keeping the centres clean and tidy. One big difference between Singapore and other Asian countries is our hawker centres. Where in Vietnam or Thailand you might commonly sit on the street or pavement, our hawker centres are designated, undercover places.
Food Hygiene ratings. And why an A is not always the best score.
Like most countries, Singapore has food hygiene inspectors. The inspectors visit all our restaurants and hawker stalls. They give out a rating score for each hawker and restaurant. An A is the top score and means the venue has a mark of 85% or more. A B score is 70% – 84% and a C score is 50% – 69%. On the food tours we eat at only A and B stalls. Some of our tour guides say that no one wants to eat at an A. It’s to sterile and the cooking methods don’t allow for the best flavours.
Indeed this is true at one of our stops on the Katong food tour. The prata shop has a constant pot of curry sauce simmering away. This is one of the highlights of the tour. Everyone always goes back for second helpings. However, because the sauce is always on a low heat and the pot isn’t cleaned out every hour they can’t get an A rating.
At the moment our hawkers and restaurant owners are going through difficult times. Covid has meant that they are only open for take out food. It is important that we support our local food heroes wherever we are. In Singapore we are all trying to buy from the hawkers and collect the food ourselves. Many people are taking their own food boxes to save the hawker some money. Hopefully we will be through this soon and our food tours can start up again. When we do we will be giving as much support to our food community as possible.
We can’t wait to welcome you all again on our Singapore food tours. Until then stay safe and if you need any information on what’s happening here please just ask.
