by Celine Lim

AT a time of rising food prices, with households making every cent count, a strange event is happening at a Bedok North HDB estate.

Nearly every day at about 3pm a mini-feast takes place. The 'guests' are a veritable United Nations gathering of foreign workers who do upgrading work in the estate.

Snatches of Tamil, Mandarin, Thai, Bengali and English fill the air as the men tuck in.

Their 'host' is a chatty Singaporean housewife living in the estate, known to them only as 'Aunty'.

Speaking in Mandarin, some Malay and halting English, she asks genially after their families and work.

She provides the workers with free food and drinks during their half-hour afternoon break.

This has gone on almost every day for the past eight months - even as food prices have been creeping up - and word has reached families in far away China and India.

The 'menu' changes daily and has included roti prata, nasi lemak, fruits, biscuits, coffee, tea and packet or canned drinks.

A resident living in a neighbouring block who noticed what 'Aunty' was doing called The New Paper hotline.

But the publicity-shy woman initially hid from this reporter in her four-room flat when we first approached her.

After much persuasion, 'Aunty', or Mrs Susan Xu, who is in her 50s, agreed to an interview but asked that we not show her face in the newspapers.

Playing down her good deed, she said in Mandatin: 'It's nothing much.

'I see them working so hard, so I just buy a little something for them.'

That 'little something' could cost up to $200 a day. She said she does not keep track of how much she spends, but reckons it is $50 to $80 a day.

But a worksite supervisor from India, who wanted to be known only as Mr Annaturai, 33, said Mrs Xu used to spend $100 to $200 a day.

This was when there were more than 100 workers from different companies in the early stages of upgrading. Most of these workers have since been deployed to other sites after completing their work in the estate.

These days, about 30 to 40 workers turn up for the free food.

Mr Nadimuthu, 31, who is from India, said Mrs Xu sometimes buys two to three rounds of food and drinks a day.

He said the afternoon treats stopped for two weeks last month when she went on holiday with her family.

He and a few other workers estimated that she has spent at least $20,000 on them so far.

Mrs Xu, who is not sure how much she has spent in total, said: 'In life, we can't always be so calculative.

'I always tell the workers I'll buy until my money runs out; when I'm out of money, there'll be no more free food and drinks.'

PRICE HIKE

But surely the recent spike in food prices is hurting her in the pocket?

Mrs Xu said: 'I buy the food from hawker centres. I don't mind the 10 or 20 cent increase in prices.'

She said her husband and three sons have no objections to what she is doing. But the workers themselves have asked her not to spend so much.

Bangladeshi Mahabulalan Abdul Rahim, 36, said: 'When we do corridor upgrading, some residents will give us drinks or food too, but 'Aunty' gives every day.

'We've asked her, 'What if next time you have no money left? Who will take care of you?' But she said it makes her heart happy. No one can say anything. It's her money.'

Mrs Xu said she uses money left to her by her parents after they ended their textile business many years ago.

She said her husband and eldest son give her monthly allowances of $500 to $600, and $300 to $500 repectively.

It all started when she and her family made friends with the workers upgrading their four-room flat more than eight months ago.

She said: 'Some days, they wouldn't have eaten anything since the morning and I could see they were hungry.

'I'd give them food if I had any or a few dollars to buy something to eat.'

After the work in her flat was done, she continued buying food for these workers.

She calls the older workers 'Uncle' and the younger ones 'Brother'.

She later extended her generosity to other workers.

'I felt bad for them. Some of them have to climb very high and I always tell them to be careful.

'They work so hard and for such long hours. Their clothes get all drenched with sweat or rain.

'Some people say they're dirty, but we can't say that because they're just working to support their families.'

Likewise, the workers show her respect by trying to clean up a little.

Those covered in paint, dust or soil wash their hands and faces at the void deck taps before eating.

Mr Lin Xiao Nie, 36, a metal worker from China, said: 'Mrs Xu is an exception in Singapore. She doesn't look down on workers like us. We'll remember 'Aunty' in our hearts even after we leave.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on June 10, 2008.