Read a quick interview with our lucky winner, music educator Emilie Loy, who will be heading to Tokyo to enjoy a dinner for two at Sukiyabashi Jiro, the first sushi restaurant to be awarded with three Michelin stars, along with Business Class return tickets to Tokyo on Delta Air Lines’ Delta One cabin and a two-night stay at the 5-star Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel.
Congratulations, Emilie!
Why did you decide to take part in this contest?
I saw one of my friends sharing the contest on Facebook and I decided, why not try it? My boyfriend has been a huge fan of Jiro Ono ever since the documentary: Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and it has been my dream to travel to Japan for the longest time, so we decided to enter this contest and realize this dream.
Where did you get the inspiration for your video?
When I make my way to my boyfriend’s house, I would usually buy lunch for him. Mr Tan’s duck rice is a must-buy every time I pop by the hawker centre to takeaway lunch back to his place. When we were coming up with possible ideas of who to film, our first thought was the duck rice at the hawker centre. We chose to capture a scene at the hawker centre as hawker food is synonymous with the Singapore identity.
What is special about Mr Tan’s duck rice, you may ask? Well, Mr Tan’s stall is a one-man show. Often, when I stand waiting in line to be served, I often wondered how he could cope without additional help. The quality of duck rice never seemed to disappoint. I then realised that behind every sumptuous hawker dish is someone with a story to tell. And I guess, maybe it is time for us to learn the story of this humble man. We took approximately a week or two to get everything settled. From the planning to the execution, down to video editing with captions.
What are you most looking forward to on this trip?
Being a huge foodie, I have to admit I’m most excited about the food. To be able to visit Jiro Ono’s sushi restaurant is a check off my bucket list - we all know how difficult it is to score a reservation to his famous Michelin three-star restaurant! Aside from that, I would love to use the chance to get immersed in the Japanese culture. In July, Mount Fuji will be open for visitors, and the matsuris, shrines and onsens await me. I am absolutely thrilled to have this opportunity to do all that.
Now, take a look at Emilie's winning entry below:
