I HAD thought the crowds at the Singapore London Day would, after the recent food poisoning, give Indian rojak a miss.

FUN IN THE SUN: The crowd was entertained by local celebrities, including Jack Neo, Mark Lee, and Henry Thia. PICTURE: MAKANSUTRA

But, as it turned out, no fear could stand in the way of their love for food.

Abdul Salam's, with its fresh fried fritters and an enticingly pinkish and nutty sweet potato sauce, was among the first hawker stalls there to clear its 3,000 portions in three hours.

Each participant had about four varieties, including prawn fritters.

The organisers had arranged for food hygiene officers to ensure that each item was hygienically prepared, then blast frozen to below -18 deg C.

Bacteria and germs were given the death knell by the freeze and boil tango.

They were like doctors on duty 24/7, complete with surgical gloves, masks and caps or bonnets, even carrying clip charts and inserting thermometers every hour to check if their makan remained healthy.

When the chillers went wonky, stuff had to be redone.

The kway chap was good to go as long as the stewing pot was at least 85 deg C, though it felt like it was closer to 100 deg C.

It was almost like regulating the hawker operations by instituting the most respected food safety and handling standards the world has for kitchens, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

Very impressive, though I had noticed earlier that there was a construction site just 3m behind the 24 open-air hawker stalls, brown-dusting the Hampton Court Palace field where the event was held.

I was looking forward to learn how they were going to impose the HACCP on such an open-air hawker centre.

But last Saturday, the day of the event, a little shower in the morning cleared and moistened the air, and the trucks and the forklifts stopped work.

By late morning, the sun came out against blue sky, and the palace grounds were enveloped with crisp clear air.

By 10.30am, the first few thousand trooped in and were duly made to walk under a mock ERP gantry, complete with beeps.

The event was organised by the Overseas Singaporean (OS) Unit, which reports to the Prime Minister's Office.

The hawkers had just under 50,000 meals on fresh get-set mode, ready to fulfil the desires of the 12,000 hungry and homesick folks in London.

Actor Adrian Pang and actress Michelle Chong signalled the start of a line-up of hilarious and fun entertainment with a warm 'Helloooooooo Singapore'.

Performances by household names like Jack Neo, Mark Lee and Henry Thia and the appropriate Dim Sum Dollies were peppered with silly SPG, Hokkien and Singlish humour.

And surprise surprise, even the chastised Mr Brown, known for the 'mee siam mai hum' (mee siam without cockles) ditty on the web, had his debut moment on stage with his take on army humour and ironic government jokes.

Perfect spring afternoon

By 2pm, the crowds, many with families in tow, were lapping it all up, comfortably stretched out on the grassy grounds in a perfect spring afternoon.

When the last onde onde was served by Michael of sgkueh.com around 5pm, all the hawkers, tired and happy over the camaraderie and success of the event, gathered for a group photo.

It prompted Hawker Legend award recipient Mr Ng of Hill Street Cha Kway Teow, who initially feared the 12-hour flight to London and its infamous cold weather, to say: 'I want to thank the OS for this fantastic opportunity.

'I am so happy that everyone is so happy. I will gladly do this again anywhere. When and where, ah?'  Back to Columnists