Not for Sale: Singapore's Remaining Street Food Vendors
Sinma DaShow
Singapore: Good Food Syndicate, 2013
ISBN: 9789810765699

Not For Sale: Singapore's Remaining Heritage Street Food Vendors is a landmark project to preserve our longest-serving food heritage – hawker street food culture.

Sinma DaShow and his documentary team began documenting Singapore's remaining street food vendor hawker centre by hawker centre in 2010. 900 days, over a hundred hawker centres and thousands of hours of interviews, recording and transcription later, Not For Sale is the most complete and ambitious documentation of Singapore's street food vendors ever archived.

The first chapter opens with a dark tone, looking at the hawkers who would be retiring without an heir apparent and the threats of extinction that faces the trade. And as always in the midst of such changing times and challenges, there are also reasons for hope in the guardian angels who willingly chose to watch over their family trade and craft.

The pictorial documentation of black and white photos closes with the most inspiring ending by unveiling the unsung superheroes of the trade, those who are among the most elderly yet still actively involved in their craft. Most have faced war and lack, often in hunger but with a heart full of love, when surrounded by hopelessness they find a reason to give hope to others, and in the face of fear how they stood fearless to life's challenges.

This book is a tribute to all our dear uncles and aunties who have tirelessly served multiple generations of food-loving Singaporeans.