The decision to add Singapore's hawker culture to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity capped almost three years of effort by the National Heritage Board, National Environment Agency and Federation of Merchants' Associations. There were rumblings from some neighbours who groused that their food was better. But the Unesco inscription is not simply about the quality of the food. In Asia, affordable food is lumped under the catchall of street food, which is understandable because, in many countries, hawkers ply their trade on the street. Singapore's hawker culture may have originated in a similar way.

But hawkers here have long since evolved, moving into purpose-built centres, going from laissez faire to licensed trade, all the while feeding generations of Singaporeans. Early enforcement policies and urban planning decisions have shaped local hawker culture in unexpected ways. Many Singaporeans have grown up with a hawker centre within a stone's throw, and the expectation that meals for less than $10 would be easily available and that food options would span Chinese, Indian and Malay. The centrality of the hawker centre to Singapore's tangible urban landscape and intangible food culture is unique to this little red dot. Now that the dust has settled a little, it is time to take a hard look at sustaining this tradition. Part of Unesco's requirement is for Singapore to submit a report every six years on what has been done to safeguard this heritage. This might prove the harder task. Hopefully, Unesco's recognition will give a more determined push to solve the multiple challenges hawkers face, from high costs to low profits. But every Singaporean has a part to play in supporting this living heritage: visit hawker centres more often, clear trays and accept small price increases. These are small but crucial ways to keep Singapore's hawkers going.