Before Breakfast
-Objectifs Shooting home youth awards 2021
“Before Breakfast” attempts to convey the often unseen labour which goes into the hawker food enjoyed by thousands of Singaporeans daily. Visiting hawker centres across Singapore between 12-6am, I spoke to a range of hawkers as they were preparing for the day ahead. One common point was just how much work and effort is needed in order to sustain their livelihoods, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a great deal of stress for many hawkers. By spending time and getting to know them better, I understood the immense amount of work which needs to be done, and the dread many of them have for an uncertain future ahead. The strong presence of hands within this series are a strong visual reminder of the labourious work that goes into making the food we love - these hands work for hours so that we can eat for minutes.
#02-82, Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice, Tiong Bahru Market
Walking towards this stall, I was greeted by row upon rows of baskets filled with chicken carcasses and entrails. The gentleman working sat at the entrance of the stall, preparing the chickens to be cooked later in the day. I found out that he was not the stall owner, but rather was a delivery man.
"It's a hard life", he remarks. "Prepping the chickens is hard, and because this stall is famous, a lot needs to be done. "
#02-69, Teck Seng Soya Milk, Tiong Bahru Market
6 days a week, Mr Low works through the night, painstakingly preparing his soybeans for the day ahead. By the time I had arrived at 1am, he was well into his process of grinding, straining and boiling the beans, where he ends up preparing over a dozen containers of soybean and tau huey a night. He lamented how most stalls no longer prepared the soybeans in the traditional way, and was not sure how this artisanal process would survive.
Before I even pull out my camera, he says (in Chinese) "Yes you can take photos. I'm very used to it. Many people have asked me before."
#01-31, Heong Huat Fishball Noodles, Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre
Even at 4.30am, I was surprised to see how bustling Ghim Moh was, with several stalls ready for the day. Kopi on the table, this husband-wife combo were busy slicing vegetables, but with one eye on the Premier League football match being streamed on his phone. They'd been there since 2am, getting ready for the day ahead.
"COVID has not been good for business; many of the regulars just don't come anymore." bemoaned Ms Tan. "We just try take it day by day, but not sure how long things can carry on like this."
#01-250, Haji Shaik Vali Ahmad Raman Muslim Food, Tekka Market
As I explored Tekka Market, I realised it is different to your average neighbourhood market - most of the customers are workers, with few regular patrons who live nearby. As a result, there is this unspoken time pressure to be ready for 6am, when the first bus of workers would arrive. As time progressed, the couple I was speaking to became more and more frantic, trying to ensure that they were ready for this initial wave of customers.