SINGAPORE - Close to 140 readers of The Straits Times shared their first meal of the year on Instagram under the hashtag #firstmeal2022. They included about 30 celebrities and newsmakers such as actress Fann Wong and national rower and Olympian Joan Poh.
ST has been asking readers to share their first meal of the year on Instagram since 2018.
To participate, they needed to post photos on their public accounts with the tags #firstmeal2022 and @straitstimesfood.
Actress Fann posted a photo of herself tucking happily into a meal at a restaurant with the comment: "Start your New Year with something fabulous. What's your 1st meal in 2022?"
Singer Joanna Dong, who will be holding a concert on Jan 21 and 22, had coffee brewed by a friend to go with samosas "with pasta, matar paneer, butter chicken stuffings" from House Of Samosas.
National basketball player Delvin Goh and his wife, former taekwondo exponent Chelsea Sim, had a Western breakfast of waffles, bacon and eggs, while their two cats joined in with their own nosh. And national modern pentathlete Shermaine Tung was seen holding two poke bowls for a healthy brunch but confessed she would be getting bubble tea after that.
Professional mixed-martial arts fighter Amir Khan showed off a breakfast of eggs, salad and bread that was baked by his mother, whom he called a fantastic baker.
Rower Poh, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics in July and is a nominee for ST Singaporean of the Year, was more camera-shy. She posted a photo of soft-boiled eggs and a hot drink, with a positive message: "2022 is full of uncertainties much like 2021 was. But with the same values I pushed through the past year with, I'll do the same to 2022; wiser, grown and deeply loved."
Restaurateur Loh Lik Peng held up a luscious duck confit sandwich at So France @ Claymore. He was with his children and wife, who had poached egg on crushed avocado toasted sourdough - a choice that reminded him of Australia. He commented: "No travels to France or Australia planned yet but this is a good start to 2022 I reckon, whetting the appetite for travel again."
Some, like model Ase Wang, were in a less celebratory mood. She posted a photo of herself in a mask sitting up in bed with a pizza. She said: "Unfortunately this year it was a very quiet NYE in isolation, as our good friend Covid made its rounds once again."
Check out what others ate here.