Saturday, March 31, 2018

[SKM] HoodChampions: Battle of The Hoods with a Chilli Crab Cook-Off Competition

Singapore Kindness Movement hosted HoodChampions: Battle of the Hoods 2018, a community event where members of the public representing their neighbourhood, come together for a friendly competition and win points in various games and activities. 


Held at Hong Lim Park, from 5pm to 9pm, the event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of National Development and Trade and Industry, Dr Koh Poh Koon. I am glad to be invited to this event so as to be able to share it with everyone.


There is a Chinese saying, "远亲不如近邻" , which means if you need to ask for help from someone, it's better to ask from your neighbours rather than your distant relatives because they are closer to you and is able to assist you immediately. However, we have to break the ice and build up a good relationship with our neighbours first. Therefore, joining such events frequently is a good way to strengthen the bonds with them.

How to break the ice with your neighbours and that is what HoodChampions is about. It's an online community platform that allows one to meet people in your neighbourhood with the same interest and talents; forming teams within one's neighbourhood to compete with other neighbourhood in a fun and friendly way. Sign up at hoodchampions.sg and you will automatically be clustered in the hood you live in.


Here at the event, participants can be seen putting their creativity in painting the 10 Singa benches as well as taking part in the "Hood Games". The final artworks will be placed on display at various prominent public venues.




The different game booths includes some of my childhood games like Chapteh, Eraser War, Scissors-Paper-Stone, Hopscotch, Can-Toss, and Pick-up Sticks. Points earned will be awarded and contributed towards the different neighbourhood cluster ranking.


The main highlight of the evening would be the Inter-hood Chilli Crab Cook-Off Competition, where 5 teams of 2 home chefs battled it out to whip up the best tasting version of the iconic Chilli Crab that can wins the taste buds of the judges. I'm one of the judges from the members of the public.


The official panel of judges which include (from left) chef of Holy Crab Elton Seah, chef of Eighteen Chefs, Benny Se Toh, Guest of Honour, Dr Koh Poh Koon, Dr William Wan and television personality, Moses Lim.


Presenting the 5 different Chilli Crab from the different teams. Team Yummy is from Marsiling Rise, Team Chili Chili Crab Crab is from Pasir Ris, Team The Best One is from Punggol, Team Fei Lou is from Hougang and Team Duo Crabster is from Sengkang. In my opinion, basing on the presentation only, Chili Chili Crab Crab has won my vote as it was rather creative of them to make it looks like the crab on a sandy beach.


After a tough round of judging by the panel of judges and some members of public, the North-East's (Hougang) Chilli Crab outshone its competitors. Team Fei Lou walked away with the title of "Best Tasting Chilli Crab", winning a pair of return tickets to Okinawa, Japan, sponsored by Jetstar Asia. The rest of the teams also won staycations and buffet vouchers so nobody goes home empty handed. Congratulations to all the teams!


Dr Koh said: "It is heartening to see so many neighbours coming together to have fun and enjoy each other's company. The unity and harmony displayed is remniscent of the good old kampong days, where everyone knew each other and treated each other like family. While the Government can build houses, it is truly the people who build homes. I am happy to see so many people taking the time to connect and build friendships with their neighbours, creating shared memories to be cherished and collecting stories to tell their children in the years to come."



Dr Willam Wan, General Secretary of Singapore Kindness Movement added, "I'm delighted to see the harmony and bond that has been formed through this event. Chilli crab is a Singaporean specialty, and the different recipes just show how diverse and unique this dish is to different neighbourhoods. This event managed to bring them all together and I believe that these kind of events are a step towards a more harmonious and gracious Singapore."



Attending this event with my family reminded me that I should also maintain a good relationship with my neighbours as I will never know when we would need each others help.


XOXO

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