In a sight that has reportedly put off customers, multiple rats were seen nibbling on meat at a porridge stall in Hougang.
The stomach-churning video, which was posted in the Complaint Singapore Facebook page, was purportedly taken at a kopitiam in Block 23 Hougang Avenue 3.
In the 1 minute 33 second-long clip, at least five rats were seen frolicking without a care in the world at a stall named Yi Sheng Teochew Porridge & Rice.
While the stall and others in the kopitiam appeared to be closed with their lights off, a cleaner mopped the floor of the brightly lit eating area.
Source: Mikey Koh via Complaint Singapore on Facebook
Inside the stall, however, rats had free reign of the premises, scurrying back and forth between its shelves.
Source: Mikey Koh via Complaint Singapore on Facebook
One of the rats settled on a large hunk of meat left next to the sink and started chewing on it.
Source: Mikey Koh via Complaint Singapore on Facebook
Soon, it was joined by two other rats, with a fourth following its friends to gnaw on the choice morsel.
Source: Mikey Koh via Complaint Singapore on Facebook
A man’s voice was heard in the video saying “they’re eating meat”.
However, the stall seemed to be not open for business when Lianhe Zaobao visited on Saturday (23 Nov) afternoon.
Its signboard had been taken down and its floor tiles were being replaced.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
Other stallholders in the kopitiam appeared to know what had happened but seemed unwilling to comment about the incident.
They only said that the porridge stall’s signboard was taken down on Thursday (21 Nov).
A man who declined to give his name told Zaobao that he had recently taken over the stall and was its new boss.
It had been previously fined, with rats again seen on the premises two days before the interview, he said.
He added that it was “not unusual” for rats to be seen at food stalls and the video had made a mountain out of a molehill.
He’s not afraid that it would affect business as the kopitiam conducts pest control regularly.
The stall will reopen after renovations are completed, he said, but was unsure whether it would have the same name as before.
During the interview, a rat ran out from behind the stall, past workers, the boss and the reporter, and scurried into the ceiling.
However, a regular customer surnamed Wang (transliterated from Mandarin), who has been patronising the kopitiam for 13 years, identified that man as the stall’s boss, while another man standing next to him was its manager.
The stall, which has been open for about seven years, has been operated by these two people over the past few years, the 30-year-old decorator told Zaobao.
He said he used to eat at the stall almost every day but “lost his appetite” after seeing the rat video and decided to eat somewhere else.
As for the video, it was probably taken at about 4am on 20 Nov, Mr Wang added, as the supplier appeared to have delivered its ingredients before the stall had opened and placed them in the open instead of inside sealed containers.
Before the video went viral over the Internet, some of the stall’s regular customers had already received it, he claimed.
Another customer named only as Ms Chen (transliterated from Mandarin), said that she’d seen a rat climbing into the stall about two months ago.
She told the boss about it, added the 59-year-old human resources executive, but he sarcastically said her eyesight must be getting bad.
Since then, her family has stopped patronising the kopitiam and would rather eat at another one farther away.
In response to queries from Zaobao, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said that SFA, HDB and the National Environment Agency (NEA) had conducted a joint inspection of the kopitiam.
No rat’s nest was found on the premises, according to preliminary investigations.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
SFA has instructed licensees to strengthen their pest management measures, including increasing the frequency of pest control and blocking possible entry points for rats to enter the premises.
Also read: Rat Infestation Allegedly Plagues Hougang Street 51 Estate, Resident Has To Set Her Own Traps
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Featured image adapted from Mikey Koh via Complaint Singapore on Facebook.
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