Man's tongue allegedly pierced by metal wire from duck rice at Aljunied hawker centre

Ouch.

Mandy How | April 13, 2022, 12:01 PM

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

One might usually expect to find duck and rice in their duck rice.

A customer known as Chan, however, allegedly found something quite different (and dangerous): a 1cm-long metal wire.

According to Chan, he was eating his meal from Tai Dong Teochew Duck Rice when he heard a crack, followed by a pain on his tongue.

The stall, which he visited on Apr. 12 to do a takeaway, is located at Sims Vista Market and Food Centre in Aljunied.

While the customer originally thought that he had bitten into a bone that had "poked" him, it turned out to be a piece of metal wire that had pierced his flesh.

Chan told Mothership that it took him "quite a few attempts" to pull out the object, which was slightly curved.

Photo courtesy of Chan

He only realised that it was something resembling a "metal hook or needle" after extricating it from his tongue.

"Half of it had been stuck into my tongue, making it quite hard to remove. Thankfully there was no bleeding but my tongue in a lot of pain now," Chan said.

Photo courtesy of Chan

Since his discovery, Chan has reportedly reached out to the stall via their Facebook page.

As he has yet to hear from them, the customer intends to call them up the following day (Apr. 13).

He has also submitted a case via the OneService app.

Chan said that he has not been to the doctor, as there's "just swelling" and no obvious bleeding.

"However, I can taste blood in my mouth from time to time. I'm reminded of the throbbing pain when I move my tongue in my mouth," he added.

First time at the stall

The unfortunate incident had occurred on Chan's first visit to the stall.

When asked if he would patronise it again, Chan replied that "it's quite hard to say," although he found the experience "rather traumatic".

"To be honest, after I plucked out the metal, I continued eating because I was really hungry. But I was really cautious with every bite."

Beyond Chan's experience, most of the reviews on Tai Dong's Facebook page are positive.

Duck rice stall responds

Responding to Mothership's queries, a family member of the stall owner said that it was likely an "accident" that the metal wire found its way into the duck rice.

The spokesperson added that their father has been in the industry for more than 40 years without such complaints.

Nonetheless, the stall intends to get in touch with the customer.

Top image via Chan