SINGAPORE – Calling all chicken rice lovers, mark International Chicken Rice Day on Oct 10, as part of a social media campaign launched in Paris.

This 10/10 initiative is by The Hood Paris and its cultural platform BLK65 alongside independent heritage education and content practice Urbanist Singapore.

The Hood Paris is a South-east Asian cafe and community space founded in 2016 by Singaporean entrepreneur Pearlyn Lee, and is known for championing local and Asian food in the French city.

Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Global Network, the initiative is an annual invitation to eat chicken rice and celebrate the cooks, communities and journeys that carried the iconic dish worldwide.

People are invited to post on social media using #1010ChickenRiceDay, tag their city and share their connection to the dish: who introduced them to it, who makes it for them, where they go when they miss it or what it means to eat it far from home. 

Restaurants and cooks can also join the campaign by sharing their own versions of the dish and the stories behind them. 

This is not a competition to crown the world’s “best” chicken rice, says the campaign’s media release, but a “collective snapshot” of how the dish found a place on tables worldwide. 

What to expect at The Hood Paris chicken rice party

Ahead of this campaign, The Hood Paris and BLK65 will host Singaporean urban and cultural geographer Ho Yong Min – better known as Yong – of The Urbanist Singapore. 

Called No Seat, No Problem: The Story Behind Singapore’s Hainanese Chicken Rice, the live story-telling experience by Ho will highlight the dish’s history and evolution, and culminate with a chicken rice party at The Hood Paris on Oct 7. 

“We don’t want people to just eat chicken rice and think it’s nice,” says Ho. “We want them to understand why it exists at all, and what i...