I don’t intend to write too many (more) posts about various holidays so, to keep relevant, here’s a bit of local news. I have returned from my sojourn to find that Ghim Moh market really is very close to closing for renovations. It has got a bit grim-oh if you look at it dispassionately, so this is not an altogether bad idea.

Before I disappeared, there were lots of discussions as to whether there would be a temporary market during the renovation period or not, so I am pleased by what I saw today:

… the structure for a temporary wet market, just across the road from the old one. Hurrah. We are, after all, talking about my local and really rather iconic wet market, so this matters to me.

What also matters is whether or not any of the old stalls holders will still be there when it re-opens. Surprisingly, all the food stalls at the current Ghim Moh market are privately owned, sometimes by the hawker themselves and sometimes by other hawkers who own more than one unit.

The problem is that a lot of the guys who have the popular stalls don’t actually own them (my char kway teow chap for instance, Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow, who has been there for 30 years, is a tenant).

So, to automatically qualify for a space at the new, revamped market – where all stalls will revert to being government owned – they need to buy the stall over now from the existing owner. This is to the breath-taking tune of $50,000-$100,000. If they don’t, then they will have to try their luck with the usual tender process for a pitch.

Fingers crossed.

Top hawker stalls to enjoy before they close include:

Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow (pictured above, be prepared to queue)
Fish ball noodles from Thye Hong (VG, I love them from here. Dry vs wet for me, always)
Mohd Faizal Eating Stall for prata (with a sprinkling of sugar please, not curry)
Lee Brothers’ Otah (smoky deliciousness wrapped in charred banana leaves)

Ghim Moh renovations are scheduled to happen in the next month. It will be closed for 18 months.

Featured (top) image courtesy of the Straits Times

Hawker pic via Foodie FC