Who in their right mind? Mum shocked after stranger allegedly offers toddler half-eaten bread on MRT
A mother was shocked when a stranger allegedly offered her toddler a “half-eaten” pau, a traditional Chinese steamed bun, while they were travelling home on an MRT train on the North-South Line.
In a TikTok video posted on Saturday (12 Sept), mother Yanti, 30, captioned the video, “We shouldn’t normalise feeding a stranger’s child.”
Source: @yantilala95 on TikTok
Yanti told MS News the incident happened at around 10.40pm on 11 Sept while she and her 17-month-old son, Khalis, were travelling from Jurong East to Bukit Batok.
She said Khalis was in his pram while she was seated at the priority seats.
The man was sitting nearby on the MRT floor and had been eating a pau before allegedly offering it to Khalis, but she managed to stop the man in time.
Man allegedly brought half-eaten pau towards toddler
According to Yanti, the man entered the train and almost immediately started eating his pau.
She initially did not think much of it.
However, she said the incident happened “very quickly” when the man subsequently brought the pau towards Khalis without saying anything to her.
The food came “extremely close” to her son’s mouth.
Yanti said it might have already touched Khalis’ lips, although she could not be certain as she reacted immediately by screaming and pulling Khalis away.
The man appeared shocked and gasped when she did so, she said.
Yanti added that his expression made it seem as though he thought she was overreacting.
He then shook his head, while Yanti repeatedly told her son, “no”, to make clear that she did not allow him to eat the food.
As she was already approaching her stop, Yanti said she did not have the opportunity to confront him.
Source: @yantilala95 on TikTok
Mother raises hygiene and religious concerns
Yanti said the incident was particularly concerning because she and her family are Muslim, and she questioned what the man was eating and whether it was halal.
She explained to MS News that she is careful about what her children consume and whether food is permissible for them.
Hygiene was another major concern.
“I wouldn’t want my son to be eating anything with a stranger’s saliva on it,” she said.
Source: @yantilala95 on TikTok
In her TikTok post, Yanti questioned why someone would offer a stranger’s child partially eaten food.
“Half-eaten pau? Ew, your saliva is already on the pau, and you want to feed my son? [sic]” she wrote.
Yanti stressed that she does not object to strangers approaching her children or being friendly towards them.
However, she said offering food without asking the parents first was different.
“I don’t mind when strangers sayang sayang my children, but to give unknown food to my child? That’s a whole new level,” she wrote, with “sayang” referring to the Malay term of showing affection to someone.
‘We shouldn’t normalise feeding a stranger’s child’
Yanti said what concerned her most was how quickly the incident happened.
She felt that Khalis could have taken a bite if she had not been looking at him at that exact moment.
She hopes people will get into the habit of asking parents for permission before offering food to their children.
Source: @yantilala95 on TikTok
“It may seem like a harmless gesture to some, but parents and children have different boundaries, and those should always be respected,” she said.
She told MS News that she did not report the incident to SMRT or any station staff.
Yanti, a healthcare worker, said she chose to share her experience to raise awareness about respecting parents’ boundaries.
Eating on MRT premises is prohibited
Section 14(a) of Singapore’s Rapid Transit Systems Regulations prohibits passengers from consuming or attempting to consume food or drinks on railway premises, except in designated areas.
In her TikTok post, Yanti also called out the man for allegedly sitting on the MRT floor while eating.
She described him as a “foreigner”, although his nationality could not be independently verified from the information provided.
Also read: Woman seen ‘casually’ eating ice cream on MRT train, sparks speculation she may not be local
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Featured image adapted from @yantilala95 on TikTok.
