‘Last’ meals: How durian, chilli crab, and KFC bring comfort to the dying in S’pore
published by The Sunday Times on August 10, 2025
Extracted from article:
Assisi Hospice, on the other hand, ropes in volunteers. It formalised the arrangement in 2023 by launching the Food Buddy programme, in which volunteers procure “outside food” for palliative care patients who have specific cravings.
Every week, a doctor and speech therapist assess the condition of patients enrolled in the programme to determine if it is safe for them to have “outside food” that day. They also provide specific dietary instructions for volunteers to follow if necessary.
The food is sourced from nearby hawker centres or malls – Junction 8, for instance, or one of Toa Payoh’s coffee shops. “I usually run to two or three places and try to get here by 11.30am in time for lunch,” says retiree Benjamin Chan, 60, a volunteer at the hospice since 2018.
On Tuesdays, after delivering the food, he spends 30 to 45 minutes by the bedside of various residents, chatting about the food and their memories of these dishes. Because he never knows when their last meeting will be, he tries to make every moment count.
“There are certain people I seriously miss talking to. They are so fun, so inspiring. But at the end of day, at least I can feel like there’s something good I’ve given to them. So, there are no regrets there,” he says. These are the moments he wishes he could have had with his father and godmother, who died before he was able to say goodbye.
Hard as he tries, however, he knows that he cannot fulfil everyone’s wishes. Those with more far-flung cravings have to settle for a similar dish from a nearby stall, while others, who cannot decide on a particular dish, force him to play mind-reader.
Sometimes, patients have a specific craving but struggle with the texture of a dish. In such cases, Mr Chan proposes an alternative: soto ayam with shredded chicken instead of chunks of sambal chicken, maybe – something with a similar kick but more manageable form of protein.
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