SOME Singaporeans have been accused of making the season for giving a season for taking at the expense of an old people's home. They were among guests who attended a buffet lunch hosted by a local hotel to raise money for the Ling Kwang Home for Senior Citizens. Singaporeans have earned a reputation for what a local journalist termed their 'feeding frenzy' at buffet tables at home and abroad, piling their plates high to get their money's worth, but on this occasion guests ate without paying. The hotel invited patrons to select as much food as they could eat in exchange for as much money as they could give. It said all the takings would be given to the Ling Kwang Home. While many people gave generously and some paid two or three times the normal cost of the meal, others donated S$1 (about HK$5) - or nothing. Frankie Tan, captain of the hotel restaurant, said some guests placed the bill folder discreetly on the cash counter and left without paying while others 'left without even asking for the bill'. The hotel did not stop the non-payers as under the terms of the promotion they were not strictly required to pay anything. Hotel spokesman Janet Teo said: 'If the guests did not pay or paid less, they were cheating on charity.' The New Paper proclaimed in a front page banner headline: 'Shame! But it's not surprising.' A commentator in the paper wondered if the freeloaders' motto was: 'They give, so I take. And since Christmas is a time for giving, what better time to do the taking.'