Ok, I really don't mean to sound conceited, but I feed my dog Lola much better food than that.Honestly, if I were a YOG* volunteer, slogging (ok, even if they're not slogging) out there day after day... and you hand me this plastic box which looks like the food's been slapped into it... I would feel very very insulted.
And the thing is... it's like... did they feed the YOG atheletes that Singapore is hosting... this same meal? Did they? Would you?
SO WHY THEN IS IT OK TO TREAT OUR OWN KIDS LIKE THIS???
I feel pissed off.. because here are our sec school and polytechnic kids (and army boys), who give their time and energy to serve at this event .... (not saying YOG is exploiting free labour or anything....) ... and yet we don't have the decency to at least feed them right?
And of course you will hardly hear complaints. They're kids, most of them will just eat it and think... oh boy, I'm famished... nom nom nom nom....
But just because they don't know any better, doesn't make this right.
I look at that packet of food and I think. F&%K. You're not treating these kids with the dignity they deserve.
I'm not saying serve them foie gras. But you can surely pull together a low cost meal and make it at least look like some effort went in to it. (*looking at the scraps of vegetables strewn in there in disgust*)
300 million of our tax payer's money is spent on this event, and you feed our kids this?!
Maybe we could have done with one less blast of fireworks (or just do away with the Oh Yeah Oh Yeah Oh Yeah song), if it would mean that the volunteers' welfares would be looked after. Heck, what's the point of having any fireworks at all, if you don't know how to treat your people right.
Don't run when you haven't learnt to walk.
*(P/S- for my non-SG based readers, YOG stands for then Youth Olympic Games which Singapore is hosting right now)
Well said Holly Jean! This is why I keep coming back, just to read what you write! You make eurasians proud!
ReplyDeleteI know ya pissed off but i think it's over $300m and not $3b?? I'm fine with the meal myself but of course i won't mind having a little more.
ReplyDeleteAs volunteers i think they can't complain but then again, i think it's more like they were volunteered. Actually i don't get why the food look like that when army food looks and actually IS better!!! Maybe SFI is not delivering as promised. Even my NDP rehearsal as an NSF got better food, pizza hut & KFC :P
oh my goodness. Are those supposedly long beans?? I'm sure that only piece of meat (SINGULAR) is damn dry. I am with you, Holly, for doing away with one blast of fireworks to provide them with better food. Dog's dry food has got more nutrients than this. Disgrace indeed.
ReplyDeleteKuen Keat:
ReplyDeleteI think precisely because they are volunteers and that is why they should be treated well. I mean they don't get paid, they might as well be treated right isn't it?! They should be more grateful the kids are helping out... the cost of hiring paid workers could have cost them another million.
Anyway like what HJ said, the disparity between what they feed the YOG and the volunteers stink big time. They are all kids, why the double standards?
I agree with this entry and I have to say that my Dad was pretty shocked and upset when he saw it too.
ReplyDeleteThere are people in Africa who are starving.
ReplyDeleteYou singaporeans are too much. Everything also complain!
People in Africa starve because they lack resources & money to have proper lodging and meals. Blame it on corruption and what not.
ReplyDeleteBut here in SG, we have the $$ to have proper meals. So do not compare Africa in this instant. Really, it is quite mindless to even bring Africa into comparison.
I don't see Holly Jean as complaining, in fact, she is just speaking on behalf of all Singaporeans. I am sure all would agree that the rice box is totally pathetic.
Hi Mew:
ReplyDeleteLet's just assume the kids are happy to help out, there is a reason to do so and meal or not they wouldn't mind.
I guess it's up to us people who are not involve to help them seek justice haha.
To be fair, not all volunteers are fed such terrible food. Some are given lunch vouchers instead.
ReplyDeletethe pic looks like its taken from NYP....lol,am i correct? im one of the volunteer's too..
ReplyDeleteThe thing is... I'm an adult, and I perhaps have more choices than a kid.
ReplyDeleteIf I were served that, I would just say... "you're fuckin kidding me."... and just leave and sit down somewhere for a nice meal.
But these teenagers don't have that kind of choices.
I imagine myself as a parent, and my kid spends hours everyday at this YOG thing as a volunteer... he can't just walk off and go eat anywhere as he pleases.
DO u know tht i received emails- apparently the army boys were TOLD to eat it, and not waste food.
I expect the organisation to at least feed him right.
I am not against the YOG and their huge budget... I just don't like to see the volunteers (no matter how small a segment of them) being served crap... and then expected to eat it.
Just my point of view, people always have expectations. When we Singaporeans volunteer to do things, we expect something back sometimes, which some of them may think they should get some good food. For me i feel that they provide meals for volunteers is consider a good thing. Volunteers shouldn't be expecting to have save their meal money because they give their time for the things they do right? Volunteers should do things from their heart and not expecting anything back. They are not force to do anything. (Maybe some of the people are arrowed to be volunteers?)
ReplyDeleteAs for the picture on the food, it do looks bad. But i am not sure does anyone complain it really taste bad?
The presentation of the food may be untidy, but imagaine you have to prepare so many meals for all the volunteers, plus transporting the lunch boxes to all of them in different area.
Am utterly lost of words for wat being served to the volunteers!
ReplyDeleteDun give the crap that they are kids & hence they r more than glad to help out & meals like tis may b ok with them etc. It is becos they r kids & we are NOT, tats y we cant stand them being treated tis way!!
C'on! So much $$$ spent on this YOG & yet cant give our dear volunteers some decent food?! again, we are not asking for lobsters, abalone or wat have you, but for gdness sake, at least presentable, decent meals pls!
The organizer better wake up from their bloody idea!!
Eh Anony, that's how i felt too but i was pointed out in Stomp that a lot of these "Volunteers" are actually school kids and NSF who are Volunteered to do them. It's not for them to complain since they are tag as Volunteers so we should stand up for them haha.
ReplyDeletei don't understand why everyone makes such a big fuss over the single picture of food served at YOG.
ReplyDeletehow about complaining only when you have seen all the pictures of food served? it might just be a single case of bad presentation?
Ya agreed that MCYS and YOG Singapore could do more. Since the volunteers are willing to offer their time for national service without demanding an allowance or payment for services rendered, at least feed the volunteers well to go the extra mile and as a form of appreciation / encouragement. Afterall, they have everblown the budget by 3x from initial budget of $100 million to $380 million, why save that volunteer food to justify control of the budget. Just up the budget for better food is not going to make much difference / rectification to the outcry of such differentiated treatment!
ReplyDelete@anon 10.21
ReplyDeleteoh.. this is most definitely not an Isolated Incident. I received emails from both Poly kids and a couple of NS boys to who have told me tht their meals were exactly like that in the picture.. and how it has gotten better lately, but still miserable.
Also, Singapore Food Industries (SFI) were the ones who looked at that picture, and DID NOT DENY that that is their product.
babe,
ReplyDeleteim sure my sis is also eating that pathetic box of food. no wonder she tells me everyday that she has no appetite to eat even though she's damn hungry and slogging for hours at YOG. poor students. i agree what u said. they should at least serve better food. or maybe, have a buffet for the volunteers?
i pity the kids.
i am one of the volunteers at one of the stadiums and i was shocked by your entry. i guess the meals probably really depends on your yog location. at my location, the meals were really not like whats shown on your pics at all. in fact, they were incredibly generous. i.e. our dinner tonight was pasta with prawns and veges, and if its not enough, we can have mcdonald burgers and apple pie too which they have ordered too. fruits like pears and oranges are also given.
ReplyDeleteThen you must be one of those fortunate kids to be selected to volunteer at the 'better' food areas.
ReplyDeleteOh yes,Hollyjean, I do agree with doing away with the Oh yea oH yea song thingee..it's irritating!
Sarahdee, cannot be la. When i was damm hungry in the army after a day's training, I ate my meals which i would not normally eat even if you give me $5 now lol. THAT'S HUNGRY!!! :D
ReplyDeleteTo : Anonymous 12:16 AM, August 17, 2010
ReplyDeleteThat is so unfair! You have pasta and macdonald and fruits?!
I only got the rice with no veg, 2 small pieces of tofu and a very small piece of chicken cook in black sauce, it was mostly bones some more.
:( And a can of coke.
I am from NYP btw, I don't know if they are biased and serve different volunteers (different areas) all different quality of food?
i am one of the so called 'volunteer' from NYP too, we were asked to go, is a compulsory thing stated on the email send to us!! this is not what we can choose and the food sucks!
ReplyDeleteThumbs UP !
ReplyDeleteSo much $$ already saved on manpower costs becoz of free labour fm students and NS boys. Do they have a choice to say No? Is this exploitation of our kids? At least have the decency to feed them properly. Is it fair to say then Do not bid to host such events if you cant handle it?
ReplyDeleteRead on the papers the minister tried to eat same catered food as volunteers when he goes on site visit, come on,he is lucky he goes to the right venue...
Can't blame him... his job entails PR stunts like this...
ReplyDeleteBut I am sure he didn't know tht some batches of kids were being fed crap... no directly his fault. But somewhere out there on our sunny island, is someone who thought it was fine to feed them that...
Actually when i look at the overall of this YOG, i really wonder where the hundreds of millions went into. It looks more like a sub $100m event to me. If i find out someone has been pocketing the money at the expense of the volunteers, i'll be very pissed lol.
ReplyDeleteActually it was catered to only 70 plus sets of meal but due to mis-calculation of whatever between the organisations, last minute it had to make it to 400 plus meals therefore it explained that the food are so less.
ReplyDeleteActually it was catered to only 70 plus sets of meal but due to mis-calculation of whatever between the organisations, last minute it had to make it to 400 plus meals therefore it explained that the food are so less.
ReplyDeleteHey, I can't view your site properly within Opera, I actually hope you look into fixing this.
ReplyDelete