Hawker centres, the outdoor food courts where locals gather for cheap evening meals, are the heart of most Singapore neighbourhoods. There is one close to my house, where families sit chatting on brightly coloured benches as dusk falls, ordering from dozens of stalls serving fresh local favourites, from chicken rice to Hokkien prawn noodles. The nightly scene provides a pleasing community vision in all respects bar one — the centre is ringed with ominous-looking concrete residential tower blocks.
夜市是新加坡大多数社区的灵魂所在,一到晚上,当地人就聚集在这些室外流动摊档旁,享用物美价廉的晚餐。离我家不远就有一个,黄昏降临时,食客一家家坐在色彩明亮的长椅上聊天,享用数十个摊位供应的新鲜本地美食——从鸡饭到福建虾面。这幅夜景展现了新加坡的社区景象,它在各方面都是令人愉悦的,除了一点——夜市被阴森森的高层混凝土住宅楼包围着。