A social media user noticed a troubling issue at a food court where customers were not distinguishing between the halal and non-halal tray return sections.
The mixing of cutlery from non-halal eateries with the halal return area was observed.
On Friday (19 May), Facebook user Nasir Uddin shared an image on social media, capturing a disappointing scene at a food court near Joo Koon MRT station.
The photo depicted both the halal and non-halal tray return racks filled with various utensils, including trays, chopsticks, plates, and bowls.
However, it was evident that the halal rack contained some pieces of cutlery, plates, and bowls originating from non-halal stalls.
Nasir said that he witnessed this sight around 12:38 pm on 19 May.
He emphasized the importance of respecting individual religious beliefs, highlighting that while non-Muslims can consume halal food, Muslims are unable to consume non-halal food.
He also expressed concerns about the potential challenges faced by stalls in cleaning such mixed cutlery. Failure to utilize separate dishwashers for the different types of utensils could create further complications.
The Facebook post garnered attention and sparked discussions among netizens. Some users criticized the self-serving behavior of diners, asserting that it contributed to the issue.
Another user suggested that it could be a case of overseas visitors lacking knowledge in this regard.
It was mentioned that Singaporeans, having grown up in the country, are generally aware of how to properly return their cutlery.
Additionally, some individuals proposed including multiple languages on the tray return sections to assist those who may not understand or read English.
Netizens’ comments
- Not particularly pinpointing but I feel it might be our diners from overseas (possibly tourists? have witnessed it before in a hawker centre) who might be ignorant and totally unaware of our culture here.
To our Muslim friends, rest assured the other races here in SG are brought up in an environment and culture which we are taught to respect other races. We have been taught since primary school to return used utensils after meals to the correct place.
Of cos we are not perfect, there are still many bad hats around. And I’m not pointing everything at our foreign friends. Just saying it might be a possibility. - I think for sensitive issues, d signage at d tray points shld incl d other official languages. Many elderly Chinese do not understand what is halal n non halal as d word itself is in Malay. Oso we shld not position d 2 tray cabinets so close to each other. The person returning trays find it convenient to return it to d wrong one when d other one is full !
- That’s why in Japan- it is very successful this habit of returning trays. In Singapore, there are so many issues to identify and mostly because how many units of tray collection should be given to halal and non halal. Taking into consideration of actual numbers of patrons at hawker centre and food courts- higher numbers should be given to non halal. The question is : do halal goes to a different washing point? Do they segregate the washing process between the 2 groups? How do we know what we don’t see with our eyes? We just need to trust them.