A recipe for bringing people together

Singapore

HEALTH Minister Ong Ye Kung has a daunting task of steering Singapore through the pandemic. And when he's by himself and needs some comfort food, he turns to the humble instant noodle.

"I like it simple - even though I know some people add caviar to theirs," he joked.

Mr Ong was the guest of honour at the launch of the new book titled Instant Comfort: A Collective Memory, a collection of personal and heartwarming stories centred around the instant noodle, as told by over 100 people across Singapore.

The youngest contributor is a 14-year-old student, while the oldest instant noodle lover is 81 years old.

The 236-page book is published by not-for-profit arts organisation TRCL, which has also turned the book into a fundraising project that raised over S$600,000 for two children's charities, The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF).

Donors include Lee Foundation, Sea Limited, CapitaLand Hope Foundation, FairPrice Foundation, Mind the Gap 200 Fund, Perennial Holdings and The Hour Glass.

At the book launch on Tuesday at Raffles Hotel, Mr Ong said: "Instant noodle is the entry point for many of us in terms of cooking. We started meddling around the kitchen with it. And because it is so humble, all of us have a personal way of cooking it.

"But just as we each have our own way of preparing instant noodles, we also have our own way of going through the ups and downs of this pandemic.

"When this is all over, we will each have personal stories to tell about how we lived through it, how we stayed in touch with our loved ones, and what were the relationships gained and lost during this period."

In the book, Minister Ong shares his memories of growing up with the instant noodle, alongside the recollections of other well-known personalities such as Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, entertainer Kit Chan, blogger mr brown, ex-Olympic swimmer Oon Jin Teik and even celebrity chefs Eric Neo and Willin Low.

During the panic buying at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, one of the top three grocery items that flew off supermarket shelves was instant noodles. (The other two were toilet rolls and rice.)

That provided the inspiration for the book, says TRCL chief executive officer Colin Goh, who hopes it can "bring the community together, serving as a repository of sorts for (people) to share a memory, a moment from their lives. We also felt that such a book would make an appropriate occasion to raise funds for our deserving causes."

The BT BAF helps financially-disadvantaged children pursue various art forms in the firm belief that the arts play a significant role in helping these children cultivate their confidence and creativity.

Meanwhile, The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund helps pay for the meals and transport to and from school of financially-disadvantaged children. The two funds have assisted approximately 200,000 children over the years.

Mr Ong handed a check for the S$600,000 donation to Mr Warren Fernandez and Mr Wong Wei Kong, who are the respective chairman of STSPMF and BT BAF. The two are also the editor-in-chief of The Straits Times and English/Malay/Tamil Media Group, and editor of The Business Times respectively.

Mr Ong joked: "When I joined the Health Ministry, I discovered that a packet of instant noodles seasoning contains mostly MSG. However, MSG is still healthier than salt. So eat as much instant noodles as you want. And cut down on the salt!"

• Instant Comfort: A Collective Memory is on sale for S$25 at the Raffles Boutique, Raffles Hotel Singapore, from now till Aug 24. The book is also available for purchase online at www.ecapitamall.com/productlist/category/ishop4good