‘Souperman’ preps and cooks for almost 20 hours to run free community soup kitchen in Tampines void deck
Wanting to give his community a reason to gather, one man organised a free soup kitchen event that has won hearts — online and offline.
Ngoh Shian Bang, a photojournalist at Lianhe Zaobao, held his inaugural soup kitchen event during dinner time on May 30, at the void deck of Block 162 Tampines Street 12.
Mr Ngoh told Stomp that one of the reasons for organising the event — named Kampong Soup Kitchen — was the observation that people were disconnected in real life.
“Even when there are shared spaces like void decks, hawker centres, libraries and community centres, people may still need a reason to pause, sit down and talk,” the 32-year-old explained.
Hence, he came up with the idea of a free soup kitchen event as a “low-pressure reason” for the community to gather.
“If someone had a bad day, felt lonely, went through a breakup, lost a job, or simply wanted somewhere to be, they could come down and have a bowl of soup,” Mr Ngoh said.
Bringing his idea to life
Planning itself took a few weeks, as Mr Ngoh had to seek Tampines Town Council’s approval to rent the void deck and go through the necessary steps required in event planning: managing registrations, sourcing equipment, and creating the menu, among other logistical matters.
“The cooking itself took close to 20 hours,” the photojournalist said, adding that he had work before the event and had to plan everything around his schedule. “It was tiring, but I wanted to make sure the food was prepared properly and not treated as an afterthought just because the event was free.”
Thankfully, many attendees volunteered to help with the preparation, cooking and clean up — which they indicated through the event registration form.
“The event may have started with me cooking, but it definitely did not end that way,” he said.
Mr Ngoh told Stomp that the atmosphere was “warm”, with some from the 40 odd participants coming from other parts of Singapore, including the West, to participate.
“At one point, the void deck felt less like a pass-through space and more like a shared dining room,” Mr Ngoh opined.
Making the event as inclusive as he can
Mr Ngoh prepared one meat and one vegetarian soup:
- Clear chicken soup with sliced savoury crepes and fresh herbs
- Creamy roasted pumpkin, carrot and red lentil soup with coconut milk
He was transparent in informing participants that while he used halal ingredients, the soups were prepared in a non-halal-certified kitchen.
“Moving forward, I would like to make the event more meaningfully halal-friendly, and I am trying to understand the ‘sertu’ process better so Muslim friends and neighbours can feel more included and comfortable participating,” said Mr Ngoh. ‘Sertu’ is the Islamic process of cleansing cutlery, surfaces, clothing and the body of major impurities.
‘Bringing back the kampung spirit’
Mr Ngoh shared more about the experience on popular subreddit r/Singapore, where his post has already garnered 5,900 upvotes and 191 comments.
Redditors were full of praises for Mr Ngoh’s initiative.
“Thank you Bang! Was one of the participants at the event and absolutely enjoyed it!” wrote one netizen.
“I guess we all can call you Souperman? Nice job getting this up!” praised another.
“Your warmth and compassion is much needed in these times OP,” said one well wisher.
Some offered suggestions that Mr Ngoh could adopt in the future.
“Honestly write in to your MP to ask whether you can waive rental cost in the future for such events due to the small scale and the community benefit it brings.
“Helps you save some money which you can use for ingredients,” wrote one Redditor.
“You could slowly expand and work with nearby Active Aging Center and other NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) and TC/RC (Town Council and Residents’ Committee) events too,” suggested another.
Following his soup kitchen debut — which cost a total of $89.38 — the photojournalist affirmed that he would do it again “with the support and approval of the town council”.
“I hope to improve the format, reach more older residents through offline outreach, and make the event more inclusive and sustainable,” he added.
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