Today’s hot topic in Singapore is turning out to be this article by British national daily The Guardian, published on Feb. 18.
The article titled The eat of battle — how the world’s armies get fed rounds up combat rations from countries like Australia, France, Germany and Italy in a charming editorial that will — curiously enough — make you hungry, especially if you’re anal retentive.
You’re not going to be impressed by the feature on Singapore, though.
Accompanying the description, “the offerings in the Singapore pack were sparse despite its reputation for high-quality cuisine. There were a paltry three dishes, of Szechuan chicken noodles; a mushroom, basil, rice and chicken dish; and soya milk with red-bean dessert” is a photo of a Ziploc-wrapped ‘dumpling’, which — how can we say this — looks far from substantial.
If this is really what our officers — both National Servicemen and regulars — are getting, then we can understand why many balk at the idea of serving the army, much less signing on.
Comments that have poured in on the article, as well as a quick search on the Ministry of Defence’s (MINDEF) Cyber Pioneer website, show this isn’t the whole truth, though.
A breakdown on the latter — though dated 2010 — shows a much more substantial meal pack (see photo below), and those who have served in the army have shared in the comments other staple items the article has failed to include.
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One reader said, “The Singaporean example is quite inaccurate. I am curious to know how the author came to this conclusion or where he got this representation from.”
He then explained that the meal pack shown on The Guardian is that of one day only.
“There are more flavours available,” he said, “including tomato pasta, chicken cheese pasta and briyani rice”. He also said that officers get a snack pack that includes instant coffee and tea, biscuits, as well as Ovaltines or Horlicks sweets.
