In the past, my mum and I used to frequent Singapura Bakery and Confectionary, which was just situated near our house. The shop owner would greet us and smile warmly every time we visit, and I would always wave enthusiastically at him.
There are many positive traits about this bakery as well! Though it wasn't exceptionally clean or new, they always blast festive songs all year round, which are sure to catch your ear when you visit the area. Their breads are handmade and extremely tasty too! The oven that they use are what you’ll see in traditional bakeries and you can occasionally catch a glimpse of fresh white bread right out of the oven! Just the aroma is sure to make you drool and have your tummy grumble. Bakeries like these are already scarce in Singapore, with only 8 of them still standing. Sadly, this bakery isn't one of them and has already closed down.
以前，我家附近有一家面包店，名称Singapura Bakery and Confectionary. 我和我妈妈经常会去那家店买面包吃。店主，一位老伯，每次都会以慈祥的笑容对待每一位顾客，看到我们也会向我们挥手。幼小的我，看到他时，也会积极地向他打招呼。
这家面包店有两个特点。它虽然不是很新，装饰也不怎么潮， 但让这家店突出的是每当你经过，你都能听到音乐。音乐不是你想象中的音乐台广播，或是刚推行的新歌，而是很喜庆的歌曲。没错，八月时去这家店竟然也能听到新年歌曲！另一个特点是，这家店的面包其实是亲手烘培的！当你踏进这家店时，可以看出烘炉。烘炉真的不是那些高科技现代之类的电器，而是那种只能在传统面包店看到的烘炉。有时，当你去面包店时，还能看到那一块块的面包在烘炉里慢慢地烤着，边看这边闻到弥漫在空中的面包香味，我保证你一定垂涎三尺，口水流个不停😂。
这家店其实是家传统手工制作面包店，在新加坡剩下不少这类的店了。现在，在新加坡也只剩下八家而已。我一上所提到的面包店，可惜不在这八家面包店之中。 2011年，这家店已经关闭了，也没在其他地点重新开张。
We were fortunate enough to visit one of the last remaining traditional handmade bakeries, Sing Hon Loon Bakery. In this blog post, we shall share with you our experiences and feelings.
我们有幸光临一家传统手工制作面包店：新丰隆面包厂。在这博文中，我们将与你分享我们的经验及感受。
背景：这家位于黄埔道的新丰隆面包厂由海南人经营，至今有超过 50 年的历史，是本地历史最永久的面包厂。本地人对此面包厂出产的传统面包应该一点也不陌生。亚坤咖椰烤面包连锁店以及基里尼路咖啡店所使用的面包就是由新丰隆面包厂所供应。
Context: With more than 50 years of history, Sing Hon Loong Bakery is the longest operating traditional bakery in Singapore. You’ll be shocked to find out that Yakun Kaya toast and Killiney coffee shop, both household brands in Singapore, have their bread supplied by their bakery as well!
在哪里？(Address): 4 Whampoa Drive
电话 (Tel)：6256 0878
营业时间 (Operating hours): 24/7
面包店所面对的问题 (Problems faced by these bakeries)
1)难以找到员工
今日，少数的新加坡人会愿意接手这类的生意。许多学生都在勇于追求自己的爱好，还有有“潜力”的事业。家长也都抱着孩子未来能当医生/律师的期望，推动孩子毕业后一定要找个舒服，安稳的工作。而且，现今的 “草莓族” 似乎都无法承受那么艰辛的事业。那儿时间长，环境又闷热，许多实习生也因此而没完全学到制作面包的技巧就放弃了。若到时无人继承面包店，加上面包师傅渐渐老去，他可能会放弃经营。我们相信在看这个博文的年轻人也能理解到这一点。毕竟连我们这些青少年心目中还是希望有一份“有前途”的工作，不甘心做一名面包师傅。
Today, few Singaporeans will be willing to take up such a challenging occupation. Fresh graduates are all in the pursuit of a job that either pays well or that they're passionate about. Parents also hold high expectations for their children, hoping that they become doctors or lawyers in the future, seeking a comfortable and stable career path. Besides, our "strawberry generation" does not want to cope with the arduous job scope. With its long hours and physical demands, people are less willing to work in an environment like theirs. Sadly, many interns have also given up halfway, quitting before they've even finished bread making. If shop owners are unable to find suitable successors (who are passionate and perseverant) in the near future, we might be seeing less of such shops in the future. I believe young teens reading our blog post will understand this points the best. Personally, even us young teenagers rather pursue jobs which I usually deemed as having "more prospects", and rather not become a baker.
2) 传统与现代
传统面包面对许多新元素的竞争，如面包企业的“面包物语”（BreadTalk）是一个例子。在一家传统的面包店工作和在一家面包企业工作的经历很不一样，尤其在装备和人手方面。在一家面包企业或现代面包店里，我们经常能看到有各种功能的烘炉，让烘培过程变得更加容易。但是呢，在一家传统的面包店里，烘培设备不像现代面包店一样先进，需要更多人和精力来烘培面包。面包师傅们为了做出那柔软口感，得亲手捏面包。（亲手烘培过面包的读者们，我相信你们知道捏面包时得付出多少心思和汗水。想起面包师傅们不停地揉面包，真令我们感到佩服！）
Traditional bread stores face stiff competition with modern bread shops, one example being Breadtalk. Working in a traditional bakery is greatly different from working in a modern bakery. In terms of equipment and manpower, both bakeries differ on a large scale. In a modern bakery, we can often see sophisticated machinery which have many functions, allowing the bakers to use them with ease. However, in a traditional bakery, the ovens are older and hence not as advanced. More manpower and manual energy is needed to bake the same quantity of bread. Bakers have to personally knead the bread to give it a soft texture. (Readers who know how to bake bread, I believe you know how much effort it takes just to bake one loaf, and to think that these bakers do so for so many hours!)
启发之锅 Wok of Insights:
1) 制作面包的过程 The bread production
他们的工作是24小时的，所以老板、员工个个都很忙。所有人按照自己分配好的工作，各忙各的，如负责手工揉面团、分配出每一个面团重量和把发起来的面团放进烘烤炉里等。
Since they take on full day shifts, the workers are all busy with their own job scopes. Everyone is put in charge of specific responsibilities such as the kneading of bread dough manually, assigning the weight of the dough and the process of baking the bread in the oven after it has risen.
2) 为什么他们坚持着以传统的方式制作面包呢？Why do they insist on the traditional way of making bread?
我们认为，现在几乎每一家面包店都是用机器把面包揉出来的，但是手工揉的面包会带点爱心，因此会比较香。人们常说：“慢工出细活”，用传统火炭烤出来的面包再加上手工揉出来的，用的时间、精神和功力使得面包每一口含留着原汁原味的面包。
In our opinion, nowadays, almost every bakery store makes use of machines to knead the bread dough, but the musky kneaded bread would include the smell of love, and therefore would be more fragrant. As the saying in Chinese goes, “慢工出细活”, a slow and sincere effort produces goods of better quality. Same goes for the traditional bread! Using the traditional way of charcoal burning to bake the manually kneaded bread, along with the time, effort and skill contributed to the process of making bread gives the bread the most authentic flavor of Nan Yang.
3) 为什么还有人特的光临新丰隆？Why do people still specially make their way down to Sing Hon Loong?
虽然这样的传统面包店没有非常整齐或现代化和面包缺乏多样化来达到现代人巨大的期望，新鲜烤出来的面包从制作开始到切片都是用手工的，才把准备好的面包放上架上卖出去的。这些白面包是非常柔软可口，是值得跑去黄埔一次的哦！如果你不太喜欢白面包的味道，你也可以试一试那些有馅的面包（如椰子、红豆、奶酪等），它们也都是美味可口的！新丰隆可以根据顾客的要求提供卡亚酱、花生和奶酪酱，但可能需要额外费用。
Although such traditional bakeries are not as tidy or as modernised, plus, their breads lack in great variety and modern expectations of aesthetics, the loaves of fresh-out-of-the-oven breads are handmade and hand-sliced from scratch until they're ready to be displayed. These white bread are extremely soft and tasty as well, which are definitely worth a quick drive to Whampoa! If traditional white bread bores you, they have flavoured ones (like coconut, red bean, cheese etc) which are delicious as well! They offer kaya and butter spread upon request which may include additional charges, though their bread already tastes good on its own. The flavour of traditional white bread is something that can never be replaced by famous (and convenient) brands in Singapore and such bakeries are a place to reminisce about your childhood, which is extremely heartwarming.
虽然这种传统面包店不比现代的干净/摩登，面包的选择也较少，一块一块刚出炉的面包都是手工制造的。他们卖的传统白面包又柔软又可口，绝对值得去尝尝！若你不想单单只吃白面包的话，也可以试试它们的叶子面包，红豆面包还有起司面包哦。他们也有独卖卡亚和牛油酱，让面包变得更加美味可口。传统面包的口味是不能被奢饰品取代的。这种传统面包店是个可以让我们追忆童年的地方，让人十分欣慰。
4) What teenagers can do to contribute to preserve the chinese traditional culture?
Advice column for teenagers:
We should first be more aware of the existence of these types of food. We should not be overly focused on consuming famous brands, and start recognising the value that older shops have too. Should grandparents or parents suggest to buy bread from a traditional bread store, don't turn down their offer for brands which you believe are more popular. Instead, go with them, and perhaps learn more about these food items related to Singapore and traditional Chinese culture. You will be able to gain a deeper insight about your own heritage, and eat some delicious food too! Remember, as the next generation of the world, the fate of cultures and these fast disappearing foods lie in your hands. If you choose to remember them, the cherished memories of our parents and grandparents will remain to delight the taste buds of the following generations to come. If not, they shall disappear from our lives forever—the food, and the memories associated with them.
首先，做为年轻人的我们一定要对这些食物有基本的认识。我们不应该过于注重食物的名
声，不要因某家店更有名而不顾其他面包店。我们得珍惜这些老字号，而不要盲目的追求着奢侈品。如果您父母或阿嬷阿公想你陪他们去一下这些传统的店，不要拒绝他们了。不妨陪他们，说不定能学到不少关于新加坡和华族文化的知识。您会有这宝贵、开阔眼界的机会，同时还能吃些好吃的食物呢！记住，我们是未来支撑着世界的人，我们的文化和这些即将消失的食品的未来都在我们的手里。如果我们尽心尽力保存长辈们的回忆，这些食物就能永远留在我们的心里，继续给人们带来欢乐。不然，食物和它们留下来的美好回忆就会永远消失了。
Thank you for reading our long post on the famous traditional bakery experience. We had a great and exciting experience at Sing Hon Loong Bakery, being able to taste the delicious and fresh bread. Once again, we are the "Wok of Passion", do continue to support us by liking our Instagram photos and viewing our blog posts with more adventures to come! Till next time. Good bye!
谢谢各位读者。这是我们第一次到一家传统面包店（新丰隆）的经验，能吃到新鲜美味的面包，真令我们感到十分兴奋。最后，我们是 “激情的锅们”，请继续支持我们！继续 Like 我们的 Instagram 照片和期待更多“锅们"的冒险
上载在这里。我们就此搁笔。再见！
Wok of Passion • 激情的锅们
Jazlyn, Jeanette & Yi Xuan
River Valley High School
Instagram:
@wokofpassion
