I remember it was not long ago that I had to forgo a table at a hawker centre and look for another one just because it was filled with used crockery and food left behind by a previous diner.

At times, I had to clear the mess left behind by others just so I could grab a seat quickly at a crowded place like Chinatown Complex Food Centre.

Although I could have chosen to ask the cleaners to clear the mess, waiting for the cleaners to get round to me would have taken longer as there were usually many tables that needed to be cleared.

I used to find the whole process of locating a seat at a crowded hawker centre daunting until the rule requiring diners to clear their own dirty trays, crockery and litter was enforced from September last year.

Since then, locating a seat at hawker centres has been a breeze.

I can now order my food right away without having to worry about looking for a clean table.

This translates into a better dining experience which I believe is strongly felt by all who frequent hawker centres. There may still be food crumbs left on the tables, but I consider this a huge improvement from the previous situation.

I am glad that my dining experience in hawker centres has improved significantly.

Loh Xiaojuan