10 Hawker Centre Hacks You Probably Haven’t Heard of Before


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We all would have visit a hawker centre anywhere in Singapore at least once a week, be it the nearby hawker centre in your neighbourhood or those popular hawker centre where there are popular stalls.

However, if you were to go there unprepared you may not enjoy the experience to the fullest – especially if you were to visit a popular hawker centre which is most likely to be extremely crowded. So here are some hacks you can try the next time you visit one!  

Stare the people who are almost completing their meal, chances are they will feel stressed or pekchek and would quickly finish their food and leave the table
Of course, we are not condoning this. But it’s a way to get rid of the other party sharing table with you. Don’t be so mean to them especially when they have just agreed to share their table with you. Unless they eat or chat very loudly, or did something in a manner which is may affect your meal, feel free to do so.

If you don’t wish to share seats, ensure that the empty seats are not together (or remove the extra seats from your table)
If you prefer to have some privacy when you’re eating, simply remove empty chairs from your table so that those looking for seats are unlikely to ask if they can share table with you, since there aren’t any chairs around.

Sit under the fan
The temperature in Singapore is already extremely hot and humid, let alone when you’re being surrounded by many people and stalls which are preparing piping hot meals. It will be wise if you were to sit under a fan so that you will not be perspiring all the way through your meal.

Sit right in front of a self-service stall
When you do so, chances are that since you are seated so near the stall owners will just serve your orders to your table.

Don’t sit near the outside of the hawker centre
You may think that sitting there would be windier and less stuffy. But once the sun moves you will immediately regret your decision.

Walk all the way further into the hawker centre if you don’t see any seats
Since most people won’t walk so far in when they see how packed the hawker centre is upfront, chances are there are available seats further in. Just try your luck lor. No harm trying mah.

Go with a packet of tissue paper – the tissue paper sold there is expensive
If you’re used to buying a packet of tissue paper from the coffee shop you usually eat at, you would like to remember bringing one packet of tissue when you go to a hawker centre. Not only is it more expensive to purchase a tissue paper at a hawker centre, you can use the packet of tissue paper to chope your seat as well.

Food who will take longer to queue for to buy first
If you’re like me who would always wait for my friends to come back with their food before digging in, you may want to plan a little while you’re dining at a hawker centre. Estimate the timing that your food will be prepared and let the ones with the longest waiting time to buy first. This way by the time all your friends’ and your food is on the table, no one’s food is already cold.

Don’t always follow the trend. Taste preferences are subjective to individuals
Trust us, we’ve all been there. The writers in the office are always so hyped about the excellent reviews left online but the moment we had our first bite of the food, we are beyond disappointed. Everyone’s taste buds are different so what is delicious to most may not be delicious to you.

If the car park is full, simply wait instead of parking farther away
The logic is simple: people usually just leave after having their meals, and 90% of the cars parked near the hawker centre are there for the food. If you park far away, you’ll be sweating by the time you walk to the hawker centre, and when it’s already so hot there, you can expect to be even hotter than the food.

Featured image: Shutterstock / Annop Itsarayoungyuen

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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