Stamps and Letters | The Eras Postal Tour: The Search for Hawker Cuisine

Hello there! Day 3 - a journey to Bugis Street and Chinatown awaits! Prior to our trip, hubby reminded the kids to include Hawker food centers in our itinerary, and today is the day!

Bugis Street, a bustling street-shopping district in Singapore, is renowned for its affordability and variety of souvenirs, accessories, clothes, electronics, houseware, and cosmetics, drawing locals and tourists alike.

As we explored Bugis Street, the vibrant Candy Staircases at Bugis Village caught hubby's eyes, their whimsical designs resembling giant unwrapped candies, adding a touch of charm to the area.

Then we encountered this mural that prompted me to reach for my hawker stamps and tongs from my bag. I had to yield to the irresistible call for extreme philately!

Right then on, the photo ops began!

In hindsight, my choice to bring along these stamps proved to be a wise decision.

This Hawker Culture stamp set was issued on March 26, 2021 in order to commemorate the successful inscription of Hawker Culture in Singapore on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 16, 2020.

1st Local

70c

90c

$1.40

More of these stamping opportunities in China Town where we searched for some hawker foodie - the coveted must-try dish -Hainanese Chicken Rice, a quintessential Singaporean delicacy that tantalizes taste buds with its succulent chicken and fragrant rice.

Yey, we're here! Our quest was not in vain! We found this hawker place via google maps, the Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre where the 169 Hainanese Chicken Rice stall was located!

Our excitement soared as we joined the queue waiting to be served, only to be greeted by the 'SOLD OUT' sign.

Oh, no! We came a bit late. All the sought-after Hainanese Chicken had been claimed by other food enthusiasts earlier.

We then settled with an alternative dish, duck rice, which we enjoyed. Hmmmm… yummy!

To complement our meal, we treated ourselves to a refreshing durian shake, a daring choice for hubby, who surprisingly was delighted to the taste he had previously disliked.

The meal wouldn’t have been complete without these photos from various angles...

After savoring our flavorful duck rice and indulging in the durian shake, we went on a leisurely stroll, seeking instagrammable scenes to capture through our lenses.

We chanced upon the attractive facade of the Yellow Chair Chinatown Seafood Restaurant.

While it was still closed, I seized the opportunity to snap a few shots for another batch of extreme philately.

I loved the hawker design of this mural in the Yellow Chair Restaurant.

Hawker centers are communal dining spaces in Singapore, where diverse dishes crafted by talented hawkers reflect the rich tapestry of Singapore's multicultural food heritage. The amalgamation of flavors and culinary traditions serves as a testament to the evolving culinary landscape shaped by immigrant settlers.

As we relished the hawker center's busy ambiance, with the aromatic symphony of sizzling woks and simmering broths from the food stalls, arousing our olfactory nerves, I was happy to find my stamps at home in this gastronomic escapade, bridging the world of philately with the flavors of Singapore's hawker culture, an indispensable cornerstone of Singaporean daily life.

'Til next episode!

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Postal Eras Tour Preps
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