KF Seetoh hails Google mapping of hawker centres but urges inclusion of small coffeeshops too

Google announced a government-backed project yesterday that would see all food stalls located across 114 hawker centres in Singapore archived online for easier search and discovery on Google Maps.
It’s an ambitious plan that’ll see Google deploying personnel strapping a state-of-the-art 360-degree camera system on their backs and walking around in hawker centres to pinpoint each stall. By early 2020, you can hit up Google Maps and look for the exact location of individual hawker stalls — especially beneficial for halal-food vendors who may not be easy to find in sprawling premises.
As the foremost authority on Singapore’s hawker cuisine, KF Seetoh naturally lauded the initiative. The 57-year-old Makansutra founder, however, posed this question: What about the vendors who’re operating outside of hawker centres? Don’t they deserve to enjoy the same online presence on a widely-used platform too?
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“They too, are tax-paying soldiers that defend our country's culinary heritage,” Seetoh asserted about the tens of thousands of vendors located in coffeeshops, food courts, canteens, food halls, and other makan places.
“They too, are part of the UNESCO story we celebrate. Sadly, they are lost and absent in this whole campaign.”
The reason behind the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) getting behind the project is that it aligns with the ongoing campaign to nominate Singapore’s hawker culture for UNESCO recognition. A campaign which, as Seetoh points out, should involve more than just the hawkers operating in establishments run by government bodies.
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In his Facebook post, Seetoh also points out that local food heroes such as the people behind Michelin-starred Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle and Fishball Story aren’t included in the Google Maps push just because they operate in private kopitiams.
Beyond just putting up hawker stall names and pictures on Google Maps, Seetoh suggested a wider internet presence for all of Singapore’s food stalls. He proposed educating vendors on how to establish (and maintain) a presence online across social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Weibo and WeChat.
“It will bring them to life online and folks around the world, not just locals, can ask and interact,” he noted.
“The hawkers will be surprised how far and responsive social media can help… just half or an hour every other day can do wonders.”
We’ve reached out to Google for their comments.
ilyas@asiaone.com