SINGAPORE: Food guru and Makansutra founder KF Seetoh penned a social media post in memory of his brother, who died on Friday (Dec 21) in Italy, where he had retired.
“He was the most jovial among our siblings. He hates boring moments and will crack a joke, even a funny white lie, just to ease a situation. His life was not all a bed of roses,” wrote Mr Seetoh.
He added that his brother, identified in news reports as Seetoh Kwok Meng, had “a nice and peaceful retirement house and life in Tuscany,” where he lived with his wife, Kai En.
The food guru also wrote that Ms Kai enjoyed her garden and that they had green-thumbed neighbours who helped her tend it.
When Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng and Ms Kai flew home to Singapore, he would “bug me to take him makan” in exchange for the olives they would harvest from their garden and give him first press olive oil, which he called “not a bad deal.”
The Makansutra founder shared one of his regrets, however, that he had never gotten to visit his brother and Ms Kai at their villa, though this had been on his bucket list.
According to a CNA report that Mr Seetoh provided a link to, there had been an explosion at the couple’s home at Molazzana. This had possibly been caused by a gas leak, which had caused it to collapse. The body of Mr Seetoh Kwok Meng was found on Sunday morning (Dec 22).
“That century-old stone house came down like a deck of cards upon explosion, and death was instantaneous for both of them,” Mr Seetoh wrote in a Facebook post.
Mr Seetoh also wrote that his brother loved to cook and planned to return to Singapore for the Chinese New Year celebrations next year.
He added that their family is still in shock over the tragic incident but wrote that they are receiving help from the Singapore Embassy in Italy, for which they are thankful.
“I hope he makes a great cha hae mee for papa up there too. Of course, I will miss them all. Rest in peace, Ah Meng and Kai En,” he wrote.
/TISG
Featured image from Mr Seetoh’s Facebook post