3D Blog - Chinatown Food Street

"Traditional Food for Memories" at Chinatown Food Street (Smith Street). The loving couple sampling, sharing and caring.


The elderly couple could remember the same taste from the same place 50 years ago. The traditional secret recipe of the "Tang Yuan (Gluntinous Rice Dumplings/汤圆)" passed down by grandma to grandson. The bowl of "tang yuan" is not as colorful as those tasted in the above photo...


The customers next table to the elderly couple ordered the same dessert stall for sweet peanut soup.



Courtesy of Google Map.

Courtesy of Google Map.

Courtesy of Google Map.

Courtesy of Google Map.

Courtesy of Google Map.

Smith Street Circ 1963. Source: National Archives of Singapore (NAS).

Smith Street Circ 1963. Source: National Archives of Singapore (NAS).

Smith Street Circ 1963. Source: National Archives of Singapore (NAS). The push-cart cooked food hawker along Smith Street any space or place, anywhere, anyhow available. Not allocated licensed illegal stall owners properly at Food Street.

"The Way We Were" video-clip presented by Temasek Polytechnic here .

These food push-carts were purpose-built at Chinatown. After the country’s independence in 1965 to house itinerant hawkers who were cleared from the streets. They were also built at food courts, hawker food centers, in public housing estates to provide residents with a source of cheap cooked food and to create employment opportunities.

Over time, even as the country developed, hawker centres remain an important part of Singaporeans’ life and act as the social platform where people from all walks of life interact. In recent years, to meet the people’s rising expectations, many centres have undergone upgrading and refurbishment. With the improved dining environment comes their new branding as food centres.

[Source: Kris Lee Wai Loon at Suite101: Hawker Centres in Singapore: Places to Experience]

Smith Street Circ 1963. Source: National Archives of Singapore (NAS).



A candid photo captured at Chinatown Food Street. Not every type of food available at the stalls, so Dad brought along the bottle and milk powder when young son was hungry...

The young boy with stroller and hungry on a bottle...







Old Street Musician in Chinatown, Singapore. Courtesy of tomservo1977 at YouTube in 1980. Please turn on the speakers (but not too loudly...)

The group of curious tourists snapped photos or video clips of the "Old Street Musician in Chinatown" during his performance, using iPhone, smartphones or digital cameras. A few of these photos or video clips were then uploaded to Flickr or YouTube as an image and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community for sharing. These efforts of personal tourist promotion is more effective than Singapore Tourist Promotion Board's ad blitz or marketing campaigns in the mass media.

The special heart-shaped ballons attracted a big crowd of attention.

Next: Chinatown Complex