Hawker centre in Singapore
When you are in Singapore, you must try to eat at Singapore hawker centre because it is an icons representative of Singapore way of life. Hawker centre is acommon place where most of the Singaporean settle their breakfast, lunch and dinner. The unique characteristic of all the hawker centres are, there are many stalls selling different kind of cheap and nice local food and all hawker centres have no air conditional (hawker centrethat has air conditional is known as food court normally located inside shopping mall). If the wheather is hot, you will have to endure the warm air while you are enjoying the delicious food. However, there are some protocol that you need to know when you are eating at hawker centres. This article will tell you the rules and culture that you have to follow when you eat at Singapore hawker centre.
“Chop” place
”Chop” is a Singapore slang means reserve. To chop a seat mean to reserve a seat, so the first thing that you have to do when you are at a busy hawker centre especially during lunch hour between 12.00 p.m. to 2.00p.m. is to chop a seat. How to chop a seat? You just need to put a packet of tissue paper on the table and people will respect your “chop”. They will not sit on the place or take away your tissue paper because this is an unspoken rule that everyone will follow in the hawker centre. So take note, if you see a packet of tissue on the table, mean that the seat is taken and please don’t seat on it.
Seat number
Most of the tables at the hawker centre will have a number stated at the centre of the table, remember the number after you have “Chop” a seat. When you order your food, tell the hawker your table number and they wil serve the food to your table. Unless you see a self service sign than you will have to pay and take the food to your seat yourself.
.When to pay?
If the stall is not a self service stall, most of the time you will pay after they serve the food to your table. However, there are some stall require you to pay first and serve the food later so pay first only when they request as most of the stall practice the protocol of pay later.
Da Pao (take away)
"Da Pao" is a common word you will hear when you queue to order your food at the stall, it is a Singapore slang word meaning take away. They will ask you whether you are going to have your food "here" or “Da Pao”. If you can’t pronounce the word properly even after some practice, not to worry just tell them take away as most of the hawker understand simple English and they will know that you mean “Da Pao”.
Don't have to clean table after your meal
You don’t have to clean your table or throw your reminding food away or bring the plate back to the stall after you have finished your meal. You just need to leave it on the table and the cleaner will clean the table later,this is a common practice in Singapore. Even in fast food restaurant like McDonald most of the Singaporean will leave their reminding food or plate on the table for the cleaner to clean which is something different from some of the western country.
Label A, B and C
If you are observance enough when you eat at any of the Singapore hawker centre, you will notice that there are big labels placed in front of each stall stating “A”, “B” or “C”. That label is the hygiene rating given by the government so if you’re particular about food hygiene,eat with stall that score “A” or “B” .
Now that you have learn the rules and protocol of eating at a Singapore hawker centre, I am sure you are ready to pop in to any of the hawker centre in Singapore to try the local way of eating local food. Hope you enjoy your meal….
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