When dining at a hawker centre, there are certain implicit rules we have to follow. Not doing so can cause us to run into trouble, especially with hawkers in the area.
This was the case recently when a tourist and her partner took disposable chopsticks from a stall at Maxwell Food Centre without seeking permission.
A hawker at the stall then demanded them back, threatening to call the police on the duo.
On 27 Dec, the tourist posted to Xiaohongshu revealing further details of the incident.
Source: Xiaohongshu
She said she visited Maxwell Food Centre for lunch on 25 Dec with her boyfriend, both buying Hainanese chicken rice from a stall.
As they couldn’t get utensils, they decided to take two pairs of disposable chopsticks from the next stall.
“We thought this place was like an airport, with disposable tableware shared. Unexpectedly, the owner of this shop came over angrily and asked us to return the chopsticks to him,” she said.
Since they had already used the chopsticks, the OP said she suggested paying him the cost of the chopsticks. However, she claimed the hawker refused and insisted on getting the chopsticks back.
Source: 8world News
With the hawker centre being crowded in the afternoon, the OP wanted to avoid a scene and said she offered to buy something else from the stall.
She alleged that the hawker was not placated, and instead began pointing at them and threatening to call the police on them.
“I don’t know much about Singapore’s laws, so is it illegal to take disposable chopsticks from the store?” she asked.
According to 8world News, the stall is run by Mr Lin and his wife Ms Qu, with reviews in the past being positive and customers describing Mr Lin as friendly.
Defending himself, Mr Lin explained that on that day, he and his wife were busy preparing food at the stall when they saw a man in his 20s hurriedly enter the area and leave.
“It turned out that he came over to take my chopsticks and left,” Mr Lin said. “I was angry because you came to take my things without asking me. This is called stealing!”
Mr Lin then approached the couple to retrieve the chopsticks. He pointed out that they did not apologise and instead offered to pay the price of the utensils, stating that it “didn’t matter”.
“I said, this is not a question of money. It is very rude to take other people’s things without asking,” he said.
As for the diner claiming to offer to buy food from the stall, Mr Lin argued that they never did so.
Believing it to be tantamount to stealing, Mr Lin said: “You can report theft to the police.” However, he maintained that he never threatened to call the police.
“I finally got the chopsticks back,” he said, adding that after finishing their meal, the diners came to his stall to continue the dispute.
8world News reported that the hawkers at Maxwell Food Centre have to purchase their stall’s disposable chopsticks. They are also responsible for their own cutleries and have to clean and bear the costs themselves.
Mr Lin said while patronising other stalls, diners would take his cutleries, the cost of which he would have to pay.
“Some diners take away a large number of disposable chopsticks at once,” he added.
That being said, he did not believe that banning diners from using other stalls’ chopsticks was a solution. This, he stated, could contribute to the impression of Singaporean hawkers being stingy.
“This is not a question of how much the chopsticks cost,” he said, addressing the issue of being labelled stingy. “It is a matter of being principled and polite. How can anyone just take advantage of others?”
To prevent similar incidents from occurring again, Mr Li stated that his wife was considering posting a sign warning diners not to take the cutlery indiscriminately.
“It is impossible for us to put cutlery inside the stall,” he said. “It would be inconvenient for us and our customers.”
8world News noted that other stalls have shared that they also experienced the same problem of customers taking their tableware without permission. It was apparently a common and long-lasting issue at the hawker centre.
Some stall owners said that they chose to bear the cost of the clean-up themselves to avoid leaving a bad impression on diners.
Also read: Marine Parade Dessert Stall Charges S$2.60 For Extra Bowl, Says It’s For Accounting Purposes
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Featured image adapted from Xiaohongshu and 8world News.
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