tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post5959458851368836062..comments2024-03-29T08:31:24.481+08:00Comments on Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture · History: Is Singapore Hawker Food Too Cheap or Too Expensive? Yes & Yes. Artisanal Hawkers Deserve MoreTony Johor Kakihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14657499743670386282noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-43314264957939667642019-07-12T16:44:57.605+08:002019-07-12T16:44:57.605+08:00You've made some decent points there. I looked...You've made some decent points there. I looked on the internet for additional information about the issue and found most individuals will <br />go along with your views on this website.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-18043627769381901352019-06-26T10:46:17.100+08:002019-06-26T10:46:17.100+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-37863689738840776402019-06-24T17:21:17.481+08:002019-06-24T17:21:17.481+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-35430993475885785392019-06-24T17:18:49.582+08:002019-06-24T17:18:49.582+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-17711190679238619052019-06-24T16:36:44.452+08:002019-06-24T16:36:44.452+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-33365931537932630982019-06-24T16:35:48.129+08:002019-06-24T16:35:48.129+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-23029834212039234042019-06-24T15:58:00.212+08:002019-06-24T15:58:00.212+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-9950029808435910742019-06-24T15:38:28.490+08:002019-06-24T15:38:28.490+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-24788428520236625432019-06-24T15:33:53.833+08:002019-06-24T15:33:53.833+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-12765466537303063732019-06-24T15:19:18.574+08:002019-06-24T15:19:18.574+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-6796005542437797922019-06-24T15:16:03.127+08:002019-06-24T15:16:03.127+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-74978299848719439852019-06-24T15:12:06.229+08:002019-06-24T15:12:06.229+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-76906845510318920502019-06-24T15:08:00.918+08:002019-06-24T15:08:00.918+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-86922053385052288792019-04-25T04:03:38.149+08:002019-04-25T04:03:38.149+08:00Very good write-up. I certainly love this site. Ke...Very good write-up. I certainly love this site. Keep it up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-12643484807888353392019-01-17T17:56:59.366+08:002019-01-17T17:56:59.366+08:00A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comme...A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. There's no doubt that that <br />you ought to write more on this subject, it might not be <br />a taboo matter but usually folks don't talk about these subjects.<br />To the next! Kind regards!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-62730759361946294542019-01-17T17:47:17.755+08:002019-01-17T17:47:17.755+08:00The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn&...The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn't disappoint me as much as this particular one.<br /><br />After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, but I <br />truly believed you'd have something helpful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch <br />of moaning about something you could possibly fix if you were not too busy seeking attention.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-77919520450218266492019-01-16T08:25:37.912+08:002019-01-16T08:25:37.912+08:00What are the factors that are giving pressure to t...What are the factors that are giving pressure to the hawkers? Rent and the consumer's attitude. <br /><br />Compared to Malaysia etc., SG hawker food is actually very cheap relative to income. Taking quality aside. <br /><br />So, I think it is right fot hawkers to charge more as a whole and those people who are unwilling to pay can just cook themselves Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-18270999478764330632019-01-12T08:43:37.340+08:002019-01-12T08:43:37.340+08:00Yes, rising hawker centre food prices across the b...Yes, rising hawker centre food prices across the board simply shifts the cost to the lowest income groups which depend on low price hawker food for sustenance.Tony Johor Kakihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14657499743670386282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-43884592203595748052019-01-12T08:36:24.110+08:002019-01-12T08:36:24.110+08:00Time to revisit some of my favourite bak chor mee ...Time to revisit some of my favourite bak chor mee hawkers :-DTony Johor Kakihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14657499743670386282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-29515784815637093002019-01-12T08:34:08.653+08:002019-01-12T08:34:08.653+08:00If we don't pay artisanal hawkers in hawker ce...If we don't pay artisanal hawkers in hawker centres more, they will simply die out - replaced by clone hawker food vendors. <br /><br />Fishball Story's Douglas Ng sold his hand made fishball noodles at $3 when he opened in Golden Mile Food Centre in 2013. When he raised his price by 50 cents, his business dropped by 30%. Most people when given a choice, will go for the cheapest option. This is understandable as for most people, hawker food is simply sustenance. Most people are not foodies.Tony Johor Kakihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14657499743670386282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-5220208179410175642019-01-11T20:02:38.990+08:002019-01-11T20:02:38.990+08:00There is no such thing as hawker culture.
There&...There is no such thing as hawker culture. <br /><br />There's just hawkers and the food they make. <br /><br />There's no 'need to find a way to pay hawkers more.' Hawkers are free to raise their prices any time .<br /><br />It's not a matter of cultural snobbery. It's a matter of value. <br /><br />If one pays $20 for a bowl of ramen, one expects service, air-conditioning, nice bowls and cutlery, music and atmosphere. <br /><br />One does not pay $20 to do self service and sweat in a hawker centre.<br /><br />I would point out that boon tong kee charges $10 or $20 for chicken rice. And Singaporean pay for it .So it's not about snobbery, it's about value for money and it's about marketing. <br /><br />If the artisanal hawkers don't move with the times, nobody will find any reason to pay them more. waileonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04192942905082588050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-61015049966765890852019-01-11T13:05:06.129+08:002019-01-11T13:05:06.129+08:00Michael Sng - You sure know your Bak Chor Mee :-)Michael Sng - You sure know your Bak Chor Mee :-)Vietnam Marihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09278909034780451246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-21083474208021320512019-01-10T23:24:51.210+08:002019-01-10T23:24:51.210+08:00Hawker Centre Bak Chor Mee $3.50-$4
Coffee Shop Ba...Hawker Centre Bak Chor Mee $3.50-$4<br />Coffee Shop Bak Chor Mee $4.50-$5<br />Food Court Bak Chor Mee $5.50-$6<br />MBS Food Court Bak Chor Mee $7-$10<br /><br />Does a hawker make $2 more per Bak Chor Mee if he opens in Food Court? We all know that they do not, that $2 more goes to the operator and landlord, otherwise all the famous hawkers would be in food courts.<br /><br />The hawker centre is not the only party depressing the income of the hawkers.Michael Sngnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-34329184939481294222019-01-10T23:00:38.156+08:002019-01-10T23:00:38.156+08:00When listening to people talk about the price of h...When listening to people talk about the price of hawker food, the most important question to ask is, what is their agenda and from what direction are they asking that question.<br /><br />Hawker food is cheap because of subsidized rents, especially to first generation hawkers. It creates a market distortion that runs through the entire F&B industry. From coffeeshops, food courts, fast food and casual dining restaurants.<br /><br />Who wants hawker food prices to rise the most? Landlords do, because their rent to the above F&B establishments can go up if the F&B operator can make more money. Simple economics.<br /><br />The question then remains, should there be market distorting subsidies to cooked food?<br /><br />That is a political question as much as an economic one. Because access to affordable food is a political issue. Who needs cheap hawker food the most? Low income workers. The ones working in supermarkets, in the bargain $2 shops, the hairdresser that charges $4, etc.<br /><br />Raising food prices cannot be looked at without looking at raising the income for a large segment of the population, relieving the burden on hawkers will place the burden on these other low income workers.<br /><br />There is nothing stopping the office manager from eating at the hawker for the same price as the factory worker, unless differentiated pricing is implemented. Hawkers are too busy to do that differentiation, so the other alternative is food credit or coupons. Food stamps for the low income, or maybe a CHAS card for food. Which is politically and socially hard to swallow, not to mention that it would be public tax payer's money. If an increase in tax revenue is required to support this, it might end up that the low income worker is being taxed to feed the low income worker.<br /><br />Wealthier hawkers do not really boost the economy, their population is too small for that. A strong economy that boosts everyone's income will bring the hawker's incomes up at the same time.<br /><br />Not charging rent to the hawkers will boost their incomes. There are a few component to the cost to a hawker: Labour, Rent, Utilities, Materials.<br /><br />For Labour and Materials, hawkers are competing for these with the rest of the F&B market.<br /><br />Coffeeshops sell similar food to hawker centres, and they charge a higher rent than hawker centres. The price of food at coffee shops cannot go any lower, so if hawker centre rents go lower, their selling price can maintain and their income will increase.<br /><br />But that is an even greater distortion to the market. How much of the population gains from low priced food being available? How much of the population gains from low priced food being not available? The question really is, should there be subsized cooked food in Singapore? <br />If the answer is yes, then they should be subsized more, so that the hawkers can earn a better living.Michael Sngnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-564826827484078485.post-58474388534145944782019-01-10T22:16:30.272+08:002019-01-10T22:16:30.272+08:00I noticed that some of the so-called artisanal haw...I noticed that some of the so-called artisanal hawkers have been quietly raising their prices recently. For e.g. Ah Hoe Meepok (the Blk 501 one)and Macpherson Bak Chor Mee. Will be interesting to study whether this is the beginning of a trend, and how the higher prices have impacted their business. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com