Hipster Hawkers
2021
A documentary on the emerging phenomenon in
Singapore’s evolving hawker culture:
The rise of the “hawker-preneur”
1 INT. WHITE BACKGROUND – DAY
MUSIC CUE: SNEAKY SNITCH Kevin MacLeod.
LONG SHOT of ANGUS, EMILY and TUN KIAT sitting across a table. They are STUDENTS OF SOTA.
JAMES YEO (O.S)
I have a question for you. Would you be a hawker?
CUT TO:
TITLE CARD: “ANGUS, 15”. MEDIUM SHOT of ANGUS.
ANGUS
I would rather be an animator.
CUT TO:
TITLE CARD: “EMILY, 15”. MEDIUM SHOT OF EMILY.
EMILY
I want to be a doctor.
CUT TO:
TITLE CARD: “TUN KIAT, 15”. MEDIUM SHOT OF TUN KIAT.
TUN KIAT
I don’t like cooking. I would like to be a sports doctor.
MUSIC CUE END.
FADE IN:
2 INT. GHIM MOH FOOD CENTRE – SUNDAY MORNING
MUSIC CUE: LIGHT LO-FI JAZZ MUSIC
CAMERA PANS ACROSS food centre. It is crowded with people. A lively buzz fills the air. CAMERA CUTS to a wanton mee stall; CUTS to a roti prata stall; CUTS to a nasi padang stall.
CUT TO:
MEDIUM FULL-SHOT of JAMES YEO walking and talking directly into the camera. Busy hawker stalls are in the background.
JAMES YEO
I’m James Yeo and I’m in Ghim Moh Food Centre. I want to show you an emerging phenomenon that is taking place in food centres. I want to introduce you to young people who are disrupting the hawker trade. Who are they? What motivates them? Join me and find out.
LIGHT LO-FI JAZZ MUSIC volume rises as JAMES YEO walks OUT of the camera’s view.
CUT TO:
TITLE CARD: “SINGAPORE’S NEW HIPSTER HAWKERS”
MUSIC CUE END.
MEDIUM-SHOT of JAMES YEO. He stands stationary and talks directly into the camera. He is inside the food centre.
JAMES YEO
Young food entrepreneurs are defying stereotypes. They are not afraid of long hours, perceived low status and hard work. They are the “hipster hawkers”, and they are changing our hawker culture.
CUT TO:
MEDIUM SHOT of family of four seated at a table. They are enjoying hawker food.
JAMES YEO (V.O.)
Hawker centres are a place for family and friends to gather and enjoy a meal, in an atmosphere filled with sights, sounds and scents. In 2020, Singapore’s hawker culture was added to the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
MUSIC CUE: LIGHT GUITAR MUSIC
MONTAGE OF STILL ARCHIVAL IMAGES. Each photograph is shown with a FILM CAMERA CLICK effect and WHIRRING tape sound. IMAGE 1: Early 1800s itinerant hawker carrying on his shoulder a wooden pole with loads on either end. IMAGE 2: 1960s Orchard Road open-air food street at night. IMAGE 3: 1960s satay man on Changi Beach. IMAGE 4: 1971 Newton Food Centre, Singapore’s first hawker centre.
JAMES YEO
(IMAGE 1) As early as the 1800s, the first hawkers in Singapore were migrants from China and India. They peddled food from place to place.
JAMES YEO (V.O.) (CONT’D)
In the 1960s, pushcart hawkers offered affordable meals, setting up stalls (IMAGE 2) by the roadside, in parks and (IMAGE 3) at the seaside. By the early 1970s, (IMAGE 4) the Singapore government brought hawkers together in a clean and hygienic environment.
JAMES YEO (CONT’D)
The hawker centre, as we know it today, was established.
MUSIC CUE END
ZOOM IN, SLOW MOTION: An OLD HAWKER beaming into the camera.
JAMES YEO (V.O.) (CONT’D)
According to the National Environment Agency, the median age of hawkers is 60 years old. However, young “hawker-preneurs” are the new game-changers.
CUT TO:
3 INT. THE HEADLESS BAKER – SUNDAY MORNING
MUSIC CUE: LIGHT LO-FI JAZZ MUSIC
Busy breakfast crowd in the food centre.
FULL-SHOT of MS AMBER PONG, the camera moves up slightly, then PULLS FOCUS to her face. She stands feet apart, arms akimbo, smiling. THE HEADLESS BAKER signboard is in the background
TITLE CARD: “AMBER PONG, 29, INDIE PASTRY CHEF”
AMBER PONG (V.O)
We started THE HEADLESS BAKER just before COVID started. (PAUSE)
MEDIUM-SHOT of AMBER lifting the shutters to open the stall. She switches on the lights of the signboard.
AMBER PONG (V.O) (CONT’D)
I was staying in Melbourne for a year to work as a pastry chef. When I came back, I started as a hawker.
JAMES YEO (O.S)
Why “The Headless Baker”?
AMBER PONG (CONT’D)
Hahaha! Because we wanted something a bit more edgy.
CAMERA SHOT of HEADLESS BAKER’S SIGNBOARD.
AMBER PONG (V.O) (CONT’D)
So 無 頭 師 (moh tao sī)… If you translate to Cantonese means “headless corpse”, it’s not auspicious!
CUT TO:
4 INT. THE HEADLESS BAKER – MORNING
CAMERA PANS ACROSS ingredients and baking implements, then ZOOMS IN on AMBER doing preparatory work. Camera CUTS to AMBER peering into the oven, checking its contents.
CUT TO:
CLOSE-UP SHOTS of banana cake, lemon pistachio, canelé and financier. Each shot corresponds with AMBER’S voiceover.
AMBER PONG (V.O.)
So we are really famous for tea cakes, like banana or lemon pistachio. But now we are also doing a bit more exotic stuff like canelé and financier, which is a…
CUT TO:
MEDIUM-SHOT of Amber. The camera faces her RIGHT SIDE-PROFILE.
AMBER PONG (CONT’D)
…French pastry you can’t find in Singapore, and not even in a hawker (centre).
SMASH CUT:
Oven “DINGS”. AMBER opens the oven door, pulls out a tray of steaming, golden-brown banana cake.
AMBER PONG (V.O)
Food is a very spiritual thing. People like to see. They like to smell. It’s (about) your senses.
CAMERA PULLS FOCUS, a MEDIUM CLOSE-UP SLOW-MOTION of a CUSTOMER taking a bite off a slice of banana cake. She savours it with her eyes shut.
AMBER PONG (V.O)(CONT’D)
It creates something in you.
CAMERA SHOOTS OVER-THE-SHOULDER of a CUSTOMER paying for a confectionery. AMBER extends her arm to receive the payment.
AMBER PONG (V.O)(CONT’D)
If your food business is just online, people can’t see (you) visually, they can’t smell, they can’t taste. So definitely you will not build such a strong crowd online. By having a brick-and-mortar store, you interact with customers.
SEQUENCE OF REVIEWS IN QUOTATIONS FROM FACEBOOK ON THE HEADLESS BAKER POPS UP on-screen. Each quote is accompanied by a “DING” sound. Quotation 1: “Chocolate cake with roasted nuts on top. Must-try!” Quotation 2: “Their banana loaf is one of my favourites! Soft, moist, non-oily. 10/10.” Quotation 3: “Extremely exquisite, a lot of heart being put into it.”
AMBER PONG (V.O) (CONT’D)
When your product is good, definitely customers will come back. So you get a regular crowd. And over time, you definitely (can) build a community.
MUSIC CUE END.
MUSIC CUE: SLOW LO-FI MUSIC
Camera PULLS FOCUS to MONTAGE OF AMBER’s life before setting up THE HEADLESS BAKER. Each IMAGE change is accompanied by a “CLICK” effect. IMAGE 1: AMBER AT A OFFICE DESK. IMAGE 2: AMBER WITH COLLEAGUES.
JAMES YEO (V.O)
(IMAGE 1) Amber was a marketing executive. The nine-to-five office job offered her stability, (IMAGE 2) but gave her no satisfaction. She longed for a purpose in life.
MUSIC CUE END.
MUSIC CUE: JOYFUL LO-FI MUSIC
Each IMAGE CHANGE is accompanied by a “CLICK” effect. IMAGE 3: AMBER ON OPENING DAY OF THE HEADLESS BAKER. IMAGE 4: AMBER IN ACTION, BAKING.
AMBER PONG (V.O) (CONT’D)
(IMAGE 3) I always wanted to start my own business, and (to) start an F&B as a hawker is actually very cost-effective. (IMAGE 4) So that’s why I chose to be a hawker.
MUSIC CUE END.
CUT TO:
CAMERA shoots a MEDIUM-SHOT, TRACKING JAMES YEO. He walks out of Ghim Moh Food Centre.
JAMES YEO (V.O)
Amber Pong is not alone in pursuing her dream. Zender Wong of Generation Coffee also wanted to be his own boss. Let’s go to Tekka Food Centre to meet him.
FADE IN:
5 INT. GENERATION COFFEE IN TEKKA FOOD CENTRE – SATURDAY MORNING
MUSIC CUE: LIGHT LO-FI JAZZ MUSIC
Busy breakfast crowd in the food centre.
FULL-SHOT of MR ZENDER WONG. The camera moves up slightly, then PULLS FOCUS to his face. He stands feet apart, arms akimbo, smiling. The GENERATION COFFEE signboard is in the background.
TITLE CARD: “ZENDER WONG, 31, INDIE BARISTA”
ZENDER WONG
We started an online platform actually, but it did not pick up. Then we stumbled on this idea of being hawkers.
CUT TO:
STILL, SIDE-PROFILE IMAGE of ZENDER suited up in overalls. A fleet of fighter jets is in the background.
JAMES YEO (V.O)
Zender was an engineer in the Air Force for 10 years. But he couldn’t see himself at the same job for another 10 years.
MATCH CUT TO:
MOVING, SIDE-PROFILE B-ROLL of ZENDER in casual attire. A row of hawker stalls is in the background. He walks to his stall GENERATION COFFEE.
JAMES YEO (V.O) (CONT’D)
So he decided to pursue something he really liked.
THE CAMERA FACES GENERATION COFFEE STALL DIRECTLY. LONG-SHOT of ZENDER entering the stall.
JAMES YEO (V.O)
Zender opened GENERATION COFFEE in November 2020. He wanted to bridge the gap between traditional and speciality coffee.
A SENIOR ENCIK and a CHILD are shown on SPLIT SCREEN. Camera ZOOMS IN on MEDIUM CLOSE-UP SHOT of SENIOR ENCIK and CHILD taking a swig, in unison, of their respective kopi-o and babyccino. They beam and extend a thumbs-up sign. The CHILD has a “milk moustache”.
ZENDER WONG (V.O.)
Traditional coffee like kopi-o is appreciated by the older generation. While speciality coffee like cappuccino is enjoyed by young people. By serving different types of coffee, we hope to create a bond between the two generations. That’s why we are called GENERATION COFFEE.
CUT TO:
MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of KENNETH LIM (ZENDER’s business partner) at the barista station. He attaches the portafilter, a holder for ground espresso coffee, into the coffee machine. A fine string of espresso streams out of the machine.
ZENDER WONG (V.O) (CONT’D)
One of the reasons why we want to do it in a hawker centre is because the rent is relatively lower. Then we can actually lower costs (of the coffee) as well.
CUT TO:
MEDIUM-SHOT, EYE LEVEL of ZENDER. He is seated at his stall.
ZENDER WONG
What’s really motivated me is the next step.
CUT TO:
MEDIUM SHOT of KENNETH (ZENDER’s co-partner) handing a beverage order to the customer.
ZENDER WONG (V.O.) (CONT’D)
Right now, we’re thinking about expansion, and we are working with some investors.
JAMES YEO (O.S.)
Apart from expanding the business, how are you expanding your relationship with customers, for community-building?
CUT TO:
MEDIUM-LONG SHOT, HIP LEVEL angle of ZENDER’s LEFT SIDE-PROFILE. He is seated in front of his stall.
ZENDER WONG
You can talk to them through social media, through e-newsletter. You can even do YouTube videos.
MEDIUM-CLOSE UPSHOT, HIGH-LEVEL angle of ZENDER’S RIGHT side-profile. He seated in front of his stall.
ZENDER WONG
So there’s actually a lot of channels to build your own community.
CUT TO:
6 INT. GHIM MOH FOOD CENTRE – MID-DAY
CLOSE-UP GROUND LEVEL shot of JAMES YEO’s shoes, as he walks towards Ghim Moh Food Centre.
LONG-SHOT of JAMES YEO walking into food centre.
JAMES YEO (V.O.)
I asked Zender and Amber what advice they have for potential young “hawker-preneurs”.
CUT TO:
7 INT. TEKKA FOOD CENTRE – MID-DAY
MEDIUM-CLOSE-UP SHOT of ZENDER’s RIGHT SIDE-PROFILE.
ZENDER WONG
Usually, people will tell you the concept you want to do will not work. (But) you’ve got to persevere and believe in yourself.
CUT TO:
8 INT. GHIM MOH FOOD CENTRE – MID-DAY
MEDIUM-LONG-SHOT, HIP LEVEL of AMBER’s LEFT SIDE-PROFILE.
AMBER PONG
I think you must constantly be learning (and) improving yourself.
CUT TO:
COWBOY SHOT of hawker draining hot water out of noodles in a wire strainer. He is suffused in steam clouds.
AMBER PONG (V.O) (CONT’D)
Never be complacent. And definitely, there’s a lot of commitment to be a hawker.
CUT TO:
MEDIUM SHOT of JAMES YEO standing stationary. He speaks directly into the camera.
JAMES YEO
Amber and Zender are the emerging “hipster hawkers”. They are charting a new course for Singapore’s hawker culture.
BIRD’s EYE VIEW TIME LAPSE of GHIM MOH FOOD CENTRE from DAWN to NIGHT-TIME.
JAMES YEO (V.O) (CONT’D)
Would you join them to be part of this exciting new phenomenon? Would you be a “hawker-preneur”?
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
9 INT. WHITE BACKGROUND – DAY
MEDIUM-CLOSE-UP SHOT of ANGUS’s LEFT SIDE-PROFILE.
ANGUS
Hmmm…being a hawker is not too bad.
CUT TO:
MEDIUM-SHOT of EMILY’s RIGHT SIDE-PROFILE.
EMILY
Just like helping people in the medical field, good food will also bring joy to people.
CUT TO:
LONG-SHOT of TUN KIAT. He is seated.
TUN KIAT
Being a hawker allows for personal growth and discovery, to gain intangible lessons and values
MUSIC FADES.
FADE TO BLACK.