Even with an abundance of hip gelato and ice cream parlours, we have to admit that nothing hits quite the same as old-school ice cream from a traditional cart. I fondly recall skipping happily toward the one parked outside my primary school for a good ol’ block of Raspberry Ripple sandwiched in a soft slice of rainbow bread.
Yes, it isn’t breaking news that the number of affectionately named ice cream uncles and their carts has been dwindling. There remain only 11 active street-side ice cream vendors as of Jan 2024, according to Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon.
The topic of street-side ice cream vendors was spotlighted during a parliamentary session on 28 Feb 2024. Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam posed a question about the number of street hawking licences issued to these vendors in the last 10 years, and how many remain active.
“In the past decade, 21 licences were issued under the Street Hawking Scheme for the sale of ice cream,” stated Dr Koh on behalf of the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment, “Of these, 11 remained active as of Jan 2024“.
The outlook for the trade isn’t looking too bright either, as these licences are “personal-to-holder” and inactive ones are “non-transferable” to new applicants. This was revealed by Dr Koh in response to Mr Giam’s question about the longevity of these vendors’ existence.
He prefaced that the Street Hawking Scheme is geared towards providing “temporary assistance” for unemployed individuals assessed to be “best supported” by said licence rather than other financial and employment assistance schemes offered by a Social Service Office.
Traditional ice cream has sweetened the childhoods of many and has thus shaped up to be an integral part of our local culture. There’s no doubt that it’ll be dearly missed if the trade really were to vanish.
Perhaps this article’s your sign to pop by one of the remaining carts to relish in this nostalgic treat while you still can. Catch them at popular spots like Orchard Road, Lavender MRT Station, Sim Lim Square and Helix Bridge.
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