Singaporean Man Revives “Kampong Spirit” With Free Soup for 40 Residents

A Reddit user known as bangsphoto has earned praise online after bringing the kampong spirit back to life through a small community initiative. The event, called “Kampong Soup Kitchen”, was held at a void deck in Tampines, where he served free homemade soup to about 40 residents.

Netizens applauded the host for taking the initiative to organise the event, with some even calling him an inspiration.

The host shared that he came up with the idea after reading about how many people feel socially isolated.

This inspired him to organise an event where residents could come down, have a meal and chat with one another.

The host contacted the town council to ask about using the space and was surprised that they were open to the idea. In total, the space cost $89.38 to use. He shared that the ingredients were kept halal-friendly, and made it clear to attendees that the soup was prepared in a non-Muslim household. He added that the preparation took around 20 hours.

The host said that for future sessions, he hopes to reach out to more elderly neighbours. He also shared plans to make the event more meaningfully halal-friendly by learning how the Muslim cleansing process works.

This was not the first community effort in Singapore aimed at encouraging neighbourliness and the “kampong spirit”. In May 2023, Madam Marlina started a community fridge outside her flat, offering free items such as vegetables, frozen meat and seafood to neighbours who needed them. The initiative reportedly went on to benefit around 200 families.