UPDATE (28 Nov, 10.50am): In response to Channel NewsAsia’s (CNA) queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it is investigating the incident and will not hesitate to take enforcement actions against errant food operators.
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On Monday (27 Nov), a video of what appeared to be a rat lying down on a tray at the Tangs Market food court began circulating online.
The rat can be seen twitching on the table while diners point it out to each other, with looks of apparent shock on their faces.
Despite the unusual sight, they continued to eat their meals and walk around the food court.
The Singapore Laughs Facebook page posted a 55-second video of the strange and rather disgusting sight, which has since garnered over 77,000 views and 800 shares.
A watermark shows that the clip was taken from Xiaohongshu, although the original user appears to have removed it from their page.
The footage depicts a large rat lying down on a tray with seemingly untouched food in the middle of a food court.
Source: Singapore Laughs on Facebook
According to a sign above the table, this was at Tangs Market, the food court in the basement of Tang Plaza at Orchard Road. The post does not state the time or date of the incident.
Source: Singapore Laughs on Facebook
The diners initially seemed unaware of the sight, as they continued with their meals.
However, the camera subsequently panned over to show one woman pointing the rodent out to a companion, a look of shock dawning on her face.
Two more customers then turned around to stare at the pest and recoil in disgust as well.
While the creature initially lay still, it eventually started twitching, moving its paws intermittently.
Source: Singapore Laughs on Facebook
The rodent then continued to lie flat on the tray, much like all of us on our beds after a long work day. Whether the rat was hurt or just taking an afternoon siesta is unclear.
What was certain, however, was that its presence didn’t bother customers who just wanted to finish their meals.
Source: Singapore Laughs on Facebook
Others milling about continued to walk around without paying much heed to the animal.
MS News has reached out to Tangs Market for a statement on the matter. At the time of writing, they only revealed that they’re still gathering facts on the incident. We’ll update the article once more information is available.
This isn’t the first time a rat has made a surprise appearance at a food establishment.
On 14 Nov, a TikTok user posted footage of rats at a produce stall in Bangkit Market at Bukit Panjang.
She stated in the caption that she saw four to five of the rodents eating the stall’s products.
Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council later told MS News that they conducted a site inspection on 16 Nov and issued the stall owner with a summons.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Laughs on Facebook.
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In the post, the council also reminded residents to dispose their garbage properly.