Kopi, kaya and a longer life: Hawker centres hold the key

With the nation set to be "super-aged" by 2026, and many set to face chronic disease and social isolation, it's time to improve what already exists: our experience of the humble, bustling tables at hawker centres.

- Daniel Mahadzir

Attendees at the opening of the NTUC Health Active Ageing Centre (Bukit Panjang), located inside Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market. The hub offers everything from exercise classes to health screening.

(LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE PHOTO)

Singaporeans rightly see hawker centres as places to get affordable, delicious meals. They are stitched so deeply into the national fabric that they were inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

From breakfast kopi to late-night suppers, they are where lives intersect and social contact is effortless.

Tourists flock to Newton, Lau Pa Sat and Maxwell not just for the food, but for the cultural experience of a city where Malay satay, Indian roti prata and Chinese dumplings coexist under one roof.

For locals, I would argue that, with some smart tweaks, hawker centres can also help us lead longer, healthier lives.

In short, as Singapore refines its national longevity agenda through programmes such as Healthier SG and Age Well SG, the hawker centre must be seen as a primary ally, not a passive backdrop.

HEALTH AND HAWKER CENTRES

A bite at a hawker centre is a solid Singaporean memory, ritual, and source of identity. A plate of chicken rice recalls childhood afternoons; a bowl of fish porridge comforts after illness; a kaya toast with half-boiled eggs signals the start of a workday.

These dishes connect generations: grandparents guiding grandchildren to mix just the right amount of soya sauce, parents recalling flavours from their own youth, tourists discovering a Singaporean story through taste.

Food connects us to our past, to our communities, and to our sense of belonging.

But food also connects us to our future, because what we eat today shapes how we age tomorrow.