Singapore’s Wet Markets – A Dying Trade That Our Next Generation Would Probably Not Get To See

Singapore wet markets

Singapore is a country with colourful heritages and cultures. There are so many things that are Singaporean-style and close to our hearts – lifestyles, practices, people, food, places… and as our country continues to transcend through changes and revolutions, there are ceasing practices and dying trades, and it is such a real shame.

For one, Singapore’s wet markets are hardly appreciated these days. Fast replacing the culture of waking up early to go to a neighbourhood wet market for fresh produce is the availability of modern supermarkets and convenience stores. Whatever we need to whip up that big meal, we can easily get from a nearby supermarket at any time of the day. With this, who has impressions of a typical wet market?

When was the last time you went to one, or have you even been before?

Vegetables Stall

Lately, I took a trip down memory lane and rekindled some fond memories of how I used to go to the wet market with my mother – and it made me realise how this lifestyle attributes to my growing up in Singapore. But more than this, it is the realisation that an activity like this is actually dying out and being replaced by modernisation.

For the fact that my phrase “took a trip down memory lane” came out naturally as I penned this post, it speaks volume of how cosmopolitan citizens like me (and many more) no longer shop at wet markets. The next generation might not even have a clue how one looks like.

Egg Stall

A typical neighbourhood market usually comprises two parts – the stalls selling fresh vegetables, fruits and meat; and a hawker centre for local cooked food. We began our morning with a hearty meal of wanton noodles, fried carrot cake and Teh-O. Singapore’s local breakfast is always satisfying and affordable, and if you need a little guide, read here.

Meat Stall

And I followed my mother as she sashayed her way through the various lanes of the wet market. She knows the place so well because it is her daily haunt, and despite the sprouting of numerous supermarket options in my neighbourhood, she firmly believes that the wet market offers the freshest options and value-for-money buys. Well, I am sure most mothers from Generation X share her sentiments.

Fish Stall

We went from stalls to stalls, and it was such a heartwarming scene to witness bonds that the stallholders share with regular customers like my mother. The fishmonger talked about her catches of the day, the butcher gave my mother some ideas on how to cook the piece of pork she bought, the vegetable seller picked out the freshest chye sim and carrots… it was nothing short of heartfelt contentment from the simplicity in life.

Grocery Stall

As I walked around the warm market, I tried to remember every corner and every turn, every smell of the fish and prawns and meat, every buzz and chatter in different dialects. It is indeed a very colourful heritage of Singapore, and while I have been to many local markets all around the world, the ones here at home remain the closest to my heart.

Pet Fish

Now, if only everyone appreciated and went to wet markets a bit more, so that they would never have to go “extinct”.