But only for a day. A huge field in downtown New York, USA, will be overwhelmed with the smells of twelve Singapore soul makan like char kway teow, laksa, chicken rice, bbq stingray, nasi lemak, roti kaya, fried carrot cake, satay and of course our stuffy nose remedy, the stingingly fragrant chilli crabs.

In about three weeks on April 21st, what will be the first of a series of Singapore Day festivities will begin in Bryant Park in New York, done with the intent to re-connect and catch up with overseas Singaporeans over this “intimate opportunity”. It will be a day of music, performances and information on new developments organized by the Overseas Singaporean Unit. Food, most certainly, will be one of the main draws. While you can take the Singaporean out of Singapore, you cannot remove the kiasu out of them, especially when it comes to makan. So we at Makansutra has been tasked to ensure that this soul makan experience is authentic and not compromised. Hence, this pleasant headache to bring twelve of some of our best hawkers there.

I know for a fact that being away, even for a week or two, especially in a country where finding Singapore food is like finding virgins among the street walkers along Times Square in New York. Your sense and palate for comfort hawker food is sharpened. Just thinking about missing that thick, sweet, savoury yet spicy sambal laced with bits of ikan bilis and hae bi (dried shrimps) clinging onto the soft and dry coconutty rice grains and fried fish that completes the perfect nasi lemak, can make a grown man cry for it.

Ideally, we should airlift the stalls to Bryant Park and fly all the master hawkers, their ingredients and ship their condiments over. Pinch the arm, wake up, reality check. The Big Apple is one of the most kiasu places in the world (a far second from Australia though) when it comes to F&B regulations. What they have not seen, heard, tried or cannot pronounce, they will not allow for importation. So this blessed task of ours to extract the recipe (mostly secret) and their special equipment from each hawker and dissect them for the suppliers there to systematically provide. Of course it comes with a promise that we’ll bury the recipe kung-fu manual with us.

But I now know why hawker food has that celestial appeal to all of us. Understanding these little heavenly street food secrets is like stumbling across the magic elixir without fighting the eighteen bronzemen to prove your worthiness.

When I sunk my teeth into the Siang Siang’s Chwee Kueh in Bedok, I know the truth behind that clear and clean taste that goes with the supremely smooth texture. And the technique to reduce the saltiness in the chai-po (preserved radish) and extract the sweetness to deliver that sweet-savoury sensation, oooh, enlightening.

I have always wondered how Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle hawkers watch their food cost especially when in comes to brewing that make-it-or-die stock. It is a well known recipe book secret that expensive prawns, pork ribs and bones, vongole and even sotong is used. But when I took stock of the code words whispered by Ah Hong of Thye Hong at Newton Food Centre, I fully understand why they make more moolah than I suspect they do.

And hey, do you know what makes that addictive taste and texture in the fowl of Tian Tian’s Chicken Rice? I once thought it was only the technique of the hot and cold dip and dunk method of cooking. I was only quarter right. It was a professional foul, like the kind in EPL football that doesn’t break laws and is very entertaining.

All the hawkers are very eager to go do this national duty (of course it helps that their cost tabs are covered and this high profile chance to taste the Big Apple may never happen again) and I’m sure the Singaporeans there are all patiently counting the days (there are about 1000 registered Singaporeans in New York but almost 1500 have now signed up for the event. They will be expected to bring their local pals along and the event is planned to provide for about 5000 folks, mostly hungry on a cool spring day in Manhattan. Each hawker is planning to serve up to 1000 portions over that six hour festival. It’s gonna be one helluva sight and in the words of my fellow yao-kwee Anthony Bourdain, who plans to be there, “it’s gonna be BIG! New York will go crazy for this.”

Watch this space as I reveal the confirmed line up of these master hawkers heading up to mask the aroma of the Big Apple with the smell of a Gluttons Square, Singapore style. I’m very sure they’ve got lots to say. And if you are there then, go add to this unique Singapore scent in Bryant Park.