For Francis, the spirit of Ramadan and Hari Raya isn’t just about family – it’s about community. She learned that her religion valued selflessness and generosity, so whatever she cherishes at home, she hopes to share with others, too.
“Growing up, I loved celebrating my birthday by giving back,” she said, recalling how she worked with girls’ homes, mosques, and orphanages to distribute food on her birthday.
“For my 40th, I spent the day at an orphanage, working with staff and volunteers to provide meals for the children.
“In the early years of our marriage, my house felt like a community centre, especially during Ramadan and Hari Raya,” she said. “It’s a big thing in my very generous extended family – both my side and my in-laws’ – to give all kinds of dishes to our neighbours, whether it’s spaghetti or lemak cili padi.”
That generosity was something she had experienced long before she married Haikel.
“Growing up as a young child in Ang Mo Kio, my neighbours would hand-feed me their food, and when I was a teen living alone in Singapore while my folks were overseas, my neighbours took care of me by cooking for me.”
Even the food stalls below her home played a role: “I practically lived on ‘downstairs hawker food’.
“I’d eat chicken rice almost every day, and the hawkers would make sure I was well-fed. It meant everything to me, and it’s why I was inspired to sell chicken rice, too.”