Helpful uncle confronts rude Chinatown fruit seller after stepping in to assist tourists
A heated exchange at a fruit stall in Chinatown has gone viral after a passer-by stepped in to help a group of tourists from the United States who appeared to be struggling with a stall owner’s brusque responses.
In a video shared on Tuesday (10 Feb) by Instagram user @sophisticated_beauty_868, a woman is heard asking a fruit stall owner for assistance.
“You ready to help me?” the woman asked.
“Ya, now is your turn, what you want?” the stall owner replied curtly.
When the woman enquired about one of the fruits on display, the stall owner responded: “You want to buy or you want to ask?”
Source: @sophisticated_beauty_868 on Instagram
The woman explained that she was asking because she was unfamiliar with the fruit.
This seemed to irritate the stall owner, who said: “So I tell you, if you got money…”, trailing off mid-sentence.
Uncle steps in to help
At that point, a man believed to be a passer-by intervened.
“Sorry sorry, what is it?” he asked the tourist.
She explained that she was trying to identify the fruit before deciding whether to purchase it, adding that the individuals at the stall had been “nasty”.
Source: @sophisticated_beauty_868 on Instagram
The uncle clarified that the fruits in question were seedless grapes. After learning that they cost S$25 per bag, the woman thanked him for his help.
However, the stall owner then appeared to make a sarcastic remark, saying the man was “very free” to assist them.
Argument breaks out between uncle & stall owner
The remark did not sit well with the uncle, who raised his voice and called the stall owner “very rude”.
The stall owner responded by saying the uncle was “very good”, also in a raised voice.
What followed was a heated exchange, with both repeatedly shouting “You very rude!” and “You very good!” at each other.
Source: @sophisticated_beauty_868 on Instagram
At one point, the uncle is heard saying: “Eh, they are tourists, you know? Don’t embarrass Singaporeans, okay.”
Meanwhile, the woman recording the incident described the situation as “disgusting” and urged others not to patronise the stall.
As the clip ended, the argument continued in the background while the tourists walked away, thanking the uncle for standing up for them.
Tourist says encounter will not ruin her impression of Singapore
Speaking to MS News, the woman who filmed the incident identified herself as Shanice, a New York resident who arrived in Singapore on 7 Feb for a holiday.
She said she has been staying at Hotel Mi Bencoolen and was visiting Chinatown with her aunt on 9 Feb when the incident occurred.
According to Shanice, while some of the fruits at the stall were clearly labelled, others were not.
Her aunt asked about “red plums” but was met with what she described as a hostile response.
“She rudely responded by saying: ‘Are you here to ask or buy?'” Shanice said, adding that the stall owner continued staring at them.
Source: @sophisticated_beauty_868 on Instagram
Feeling uncomfortable with the interaction, she decided to start recording.
Shanice said the man who intervened had been walking past, overheard the exchange, and stepped in to help.
“He was very helpful. He was respectful. He was understanding,” she said. “I’m very thankful that he took time out of his day to not only help us but also correct her.”
Source: @sophisticated_beauty_868 on Instagram
While she found the experience disappointing, Shanice emphasised that she would not judge Singapore based on the encounter.
“Singapore is a very beautiful country, one of the cleanest I have visited so far,” she said.
Despite this interaction, I will not hold Singapore responsible for her behaviour.
Netizens praise ‘cool’ uncle for stepping in
In the comments section, several netizens commended the man for stepping in.
One described his actions as “so cool”, while another called him a “hero”.
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
A commenter apologised to Shanice for the unpleasant experience, adding that the uncle’s actions showed there are many good people in Singapore.
Source: Instagram
Another netizen joked that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) should hire him as an ambassador.
Source: Instagram
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Featured image adapted from @sophisticated_beauty_868 on Instagram.Â
