Singapore's tradition of eating out in places called hawker centers is now recognized by the United Nations for its cultural importance.A hawker is a person who sells food or goods and advertises by shouting at people walking by on the street.Hawkers are an important part of Singaporean culture.Open-air eating areas where hawkers sell their goods are very popular.Famous chefs, such as Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay have praised them.And they appear in popular films like ‘Crazy Rich Asians'.On Wednesday, the United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO, added the city's "hawker culture," to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.Singapore sought to have hawker culture added to the list about two years ago.Now that it has been recognized, Singapore must provide a report every six years to UNESCO.The report must show efforts the city-state has made to save and support its hawker culture.
