Buildings change, bread endures

Posted by noelbynature under Buildings and Monuments, Food, Lifestyle
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Part of Singapore’s economic miracle was its transition from rural to urban to cosmopolitan in the span of a generation, and while we all hail the march of progress, sometimes* we reminisce about the way things were. Which is why it’s even more surprising to find yesterday alive and well, sitting side-by-side with the present. Case in point: This childhood bakery in Joo Chiat, whom Philip Chew remembers from his schoolboy days, is still baking bread at its original location - and still made in the traditional way.

How has time treated this bakery at Joo Chiat? Philip reports:

“Curious to know whether the bakery is still there, I visited the place and was pleasantly surprised to find business as usual for the bakery. Except for the front awning that had been removed, the frontage remained as it was before. The peranakan buildings on both sides had upgraded with new paint works and an extension of another storey at the rear. I went inside the bakery and it appeared that time had stood still.”

Of course, it would be unfair to say that the bakery was exactly the same as it was 40 years ago - today, the oven is run by electricity. But the dough is still cut and rolled out by hand. In this age of packaged, almost manufactured, sliced bread, it’s nice to find bakeries like these enduring. I think businesses like these deserve to be supported by our patronage - besides, the bread tastes better too!

Read about the bakery for which time stands still in Philip’s Joo Chiat blog.

*actually, a lot of times in this blog.