putting my PR to use

[geeteethree]

ang moh power! yeah!

ok seriously, screw the expat (ang moh?). it's his stupidity that he bought food first then find a seat. it's his stupidity that he thought we singaporeans are easy prey. it's his stupidity to argue with hawaiisg bro (aloha!).

why we chope seats with tissue paper? has anyone thought of that? i do not think that it stems from selfishness, but rather it stems from typical singaporean pragmatism. everyone wants to enjoy hot food. we wouldn't want our food to turn cold while waiting for a seat. also, the risk of someone losing control of the tray (and worse spilling the food onto someone else) while waiting for a seat can be disastrous. so our culture of choping seats with tissue paper packets and umbrellas etc etc has evolved from pragmatism.

and to that expat / FTrash, you can go sod off.

ahaha has the same thing happened to you mate?
or an incident similiar?
dont go basing thins on other persons story that could well be not as true as it sounds.
it could well be but no1 is certain.
if you told me to sod off and called me trash it wouldnt b the last time u would be hearing from me mate
just think before you write these things, singapore is a multicultural country and just because one person from one single race may have done something wrong you dont have to base it on the whole culture

 

[ortega]

let me remind you people that racially rude remarks of any kind will not be tolerated

in fact rude remarks will also not be tolerated

please be reminded of the above

a few infractions have already been given out from this thread alone

 

[garou12]

please be reminded of the above

a few infractions have already been given out from this thread alone

i think might be a better idea to just close it. it seems to be inflaming people.

 

[nyxx88]

borrowing a picture taken by a friend

 

[ortega]

i think might be a better idea to just close it. it seems to be inflaming people.

i believe that we have adults here who know when to stop
so i'll leave it open until it gets out of control

 

[garou12]

i believe that we have adults here who know when to stop
so i'll leave it open until it gets out of control

alrighty then.

 

[Loupisk]

What to say about the MRT situation and all those little tissues?

Seems that they are no people. When a pregnant lady or a very old person steps in, the little tissues are unable to move.:dunno:

So sad. If there were people, I am sure that someone would stand up and offer a seat.

But the little tissue can't. It is just an object.:sticktong

Could this be as smart as the initial post?

Relax kids. No matter who is in front of you (race, nationality, religion) respect local culture and try to do what seems right.

In any case : respect others, no need to insult people. we all get our load of crap everyday. No need to add some.

Tank is full already.:flush:

 

[BlueBull]

erm.... that was some OT.
This may be what some people call a Freudian Slip.
It revealed what was really on your mind. Well maybe just an innocent typo.

Haha... it is ridiculous. It was merely a typo and some creative minds here can miscontrue it as some vulgarity... oh and I got a warning for it by the mod to boot.:sweat:

Search all my other posts and you see I am not inclined to using such words in this forum.

 

[vince123123]

If he removes your bag and puts it on the floor, and then starts to eat his meal, I doubt you can really make out any case of theft. If you can irritate him to eat faster, he can also irritate you by eating slower. You have an inferior bargaining position as he is comfortably seated, and you are standing holding your food. He can even take out his mobile phone to further irritate you by engaging in conversation or playing games. Chances are, in the war of attrition, you will lose, and when you see a seat being free elsewhere, you will take that seat rather than continue to bang heads with that person.

In the end, you'll realise you've conceded your position.

I frequently eat out alone, so let me share my POV.

Firstly, let me make my stand. It's my normal sequence/process that I find a seat first BEFORE ordering my food. No difference even when I'm eating out with someone else, when either would reserve the table while the other buys in turn.

So, I'll "reserve" my space with an identifiable item of little value but of bigger volume (like my empty bag) before joining the queue to order food. I've already a planned response, whoever tries to remove my bag, I'll shout "theft" across the foodcourt if I need to, of course reaction must be fast enough to shout while whoever is still holding my bag. And if that person insist to be like the guy TS mentioned, I'll let it pass first, simply order something with soup and go back to my "reserved" seat and argue/tell him to eat faster as he's seating on my seat and my food is getting cold (basically just irritate him just as he have irritated me)... hopefully no hot soup incident will happen. (hand very tired carrying tray and bag mah) :devil:

Luckly, so far it only happens once and when I confronted that person, he let me have my seat back as I argued, "I too have waited for a seat to be available and not jumped queue or whatever".

 

[LENS]

you know it mah, you know not one will abandon bag on seat, and you know those tissue are for reserved seat, but you are just piss off so u choose to be rude. They may be rude to reserve seat that way, but you are definitely rude if u choose to be deal with them that way purposely.

before we argue and correct what we thinking is not correct, then look at how we deal it. In any case, whoever you are, if you simply just remove it purposely since u are so piss off, then i think you are dealing that in rude way too.

it is slightly different with reserving a good seat in library, class or performance, my opinion. If you can't tolerate a guy reserve a single seat in a foodcourt during peak hour, then what else you can tolerate?

Can you explain how can anyone ascertain whether the items belong to someone else, or whether they have been abandoned?

 

[CYRN]

If he removes your bag and puts it on the floor, and then starts to eat his meal, I doubt you can really make out any case of theft. If you can irritate him to eat faster, he can also irritate you by eating slower. You have an inferior bargaining position as he is comfortably seated, and you are standing holding your food. He can even take out his mobile phone to further irritate you by engaging in conversation or playing games. Chances are, in the war of attrition, you will lose, and when you see a seat being free elsewhere, you will take that seat rather than continue to bang heads with that person.

In the end, you'll realise you've conceded your position.

Yeah, what you mention about my position is true. But you might be suprised how many people would like to keep their 'face' and avoid such 'contest' ofstubborness.

As already mentioned by others in this thread, either way also not wrong.

I don't know those who are against reservation have experience in eating at peak hours everyday. You just can't outrun those who come in group with food in your hand without some compromise to safety. So you still LL have to pick a seat to watch and wait. Not much additionatloss to my time anyway.

If it wasn't such peak period with many others waiting for seats, I don't think anyone with any semblance of courtesy/gracefulness to jettison another's space.

 

[aeskywan]

Actually I dont know what is the fuss about..... the tissue paper choping issue.
I see it this way. During rush hour, one who is working in the CBD is in a hurry to eat fast and get back to work. Office workers dont exactly have the luxury of enjoying their entire 1 hour lunch break. Many of them have only time to eat and rush back to carry on working.

So when u are eating in a crowded hawker centre, you see a seat. You reserve it by placing a piece of tissue paper on it. You go order your food and you come back to sit down on the same spot you sat at and you eat fast and you vacate your seat once you are done, the person behind you does the same, places a packet of tissue on the seat and goes order his or her lunch and comes back to the same spot and the whole cycle carries on.

If you observe, this is practised diligently in CBD area and people know that it is a unwritten rule that works for everyone. You get a seat, you order, you eat chop chop and you vacate for the next person. I have not really seen many CBD workers who will sit there and slowly savour each strand of noodles and after that enjoy a lingering coffee and a dessert while knowing behind them is a whole bunch of people waiting for them to vacate.

For those who say that it is wrong.... well just imagine, you order, you start looking for a seat in rush hour because you didnt reserve a seat, you will end up standing there in a crowded hawker centre with your tray of steaming hot noodles and basically being a hazard to everyone around you as you might just spill it on someone.

To FTs and Expats, sometimes as the saying goes, when in Rome, do what the Romans do... if this is our culture here, then I guess I can say only one thing accept it. I really dont think we take foreign values shoved down our throat by force very well.... it might be wrong to you but it's accepted to us.

For locals who are echoing what expats are saying as being wrong then please do think carefully first before parroting every western view as good and our own as bad. If reserving with tissue is so bad then the TS should not be praised, instead he should be reprimanded as he helped a local who "wrongfully" reserved his seat with his bag. Instead we should praise the Expat who instead of being a dick by throwing the guy's bag on the floor as a hero who has struck down the "bag" and "tissue" reservers.

 

[LittleWolf]

meh. odds of that occurring is very very VERY low as opposed to your bag being stolen and dumped into some convenient trash can after being rummaged through for precious material.

More people get mugged in the streets than planes get kidnapped or blown up... nevertheless, I am all for security checks at airports .

 

[ortega]

i choose to eat after the crowd goes back to the office
no crowd, empty tables everywhere, no queues
and the stall owner have the time to cook well and serve you at your table

 

[LittleWolf]

To FTs and Expats, sometimes as the saying goes, when in Rome, do what the Romans do... if this is our culture here, then I guess I can say only one thing accept it.

By that argument, you're asking expats to litter indiscriminately, ignore traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, drive at night without lights, maintain racist stereotypes, and cheat people when you can.

 

[zcf]

......
For those who say that it is wrong.... well just imagine, you order, you start looking for a seat in rush hour because you didnt reserve a seat, you will end up standing there in a crowded hawker centre with your tray of steaming hot noodles and basically being a hazard to everyone around you as you might just spill it on someone.
.....
.

That was because most tables were taken by the tissue paper packs........ :sweat:

Mathematically speaking, it probably efficient for individual to reserve a seat with tissue paper, but for a overwhelming big crowd, it's very inefficient, as a lot of seats are empty and not being utilised.... opps, utilised by tissue paper :sweat:

 

[CYRN]

That was because most table was taken by the tissue paper packs........ :sweat:

Mathematically speaker, it probably efficient for individual to reserve a seat with tissue paper, but for a overwhelming big crowd, it's very inefficient, as a lot of seats are empty and not being utilised.... opps, utilised by tissue paper :sweat:

unlikely, cuz as mentioned, the practice is to reserve first. So, first come-first reserve, first eat , first bunk off table too.

The time spent is still similar mentioned earlier, you either wait before ordering, or with your order in your hand. You might have a longer wait in the latter case as you are unlikely out run those waiting without food in hand.

 

[aeskywan]

By that argument, you're asking expats to litter indiscriminately, ignore traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, drive at night without lights, maintain racist stereotypes, and cheat people when you can.

I didnt say that. I just said to maintain equilibrium by doing what the local culture dictates. Example, in Japan, you shower and clean yourself before soaking in the tub. In Australia, you put back the trays after you have finished with your food in the fast food restaurant.

No one said anything about littering, ignoring traffic lights maintaining racist steros and cheating people.... kind of wonder where you got that notion... and well if you choose to follow the worst in a culture and to do things that are socially wrong even in that culture.... well no matter where you go, you are going to do the worse things...

Hence example using the excuse you just gave, you are going to grope a lady in a train in Japan cos "they do it mah" You are going to call a black racist names in American cos "they do it" You are going to tell the Chinese to go back to China in Australia cos "they do it"

However we all know that these are the worst things of these particular cultures and even the majority of their populations dont accept it. Hmmm so I dont think anyone will use it as an excuse to misinterpret the line "when in rome do as the romans do" to mean doing the worse of a culture

 

[vince123123]

And how do you arrive at the fact that the majority in Singapore endorse the idea of reserving seats with tissue paper?

 

[vince123123]

I understand your initial post was directed at the beach chairs incident - in that case, how do you ascertain if they were abandoned, or otherwise?

On the topic of tissue paper reservations, if you recognise that they are rude to reserve seats in that way, could you share with us what your non-rude measure of dealing with the situation would be?

you know it mah, you know not one will abandon bag on seat, and you know those tissue are for reserved seat, but you are just piss off so u choose to be rude. They may be rude to reserve seat that way, but you are definitely rude if u choose to be deal with them that way purposely.

before we argue and correct what we thinking is not correct, then look at how we deal it. In any case, whoever you are, if you simply just remove it purposely since u are so piss off, then i think you are dealing that in rude way too.

it is slightly different with reserving a good seat in library, class or performance, my opinion. If you can't tolerate a guy reserve a single seat in a foodcourt during peak hour, then what else you can tolerate?