Customer upset with how fish was cut, blames City Square FairPrice fish cutter for not being able to speak English

FairPrice said they will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and reminded the public to treat employees with respect.

Fiona Tan | March 27, 2023, 02:05 AM

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Unhappy with the way a fish was cut, a customer questioned why the FairPrice fish cutter at City Square Mall cannot speak in English.

The customer, who goes by Amy Tashiana on several social media platforms, filmed the incident and uploaded the video onto YouTube.

The nearly nine-minute video was titled "Foreign worker (China) NTUC City Square" with the caption:

"Foreign worker from China cannot speak English and to her nothing else can be done!! What our opposition Mr Pritam Singh said was right!! They should go for English lesson before even start working here in SIngapore where multi races and international expats are!"

Took issue with fish cutter not being able to speak English

In the video, Amy was standing in front of the fish-cutting station and could be heard talking to the fish cutter, who was descaling a fish.

Amy asked the fish cutter in Mandarin: "You don't know how to speak English here? You're here and don't know how to speak English?"

"I'm learning English," the fish cutter replied in Mandarin, which is her mother tongue.

Shortly afterward, Amy said in a mix of English and Mandarin: "I want to report you to FairPrice that you cannot speak in English."

"But I'm still learning," the fish cutter replied in Mandarin.

To this, Amy said in English: "No, no, I don't understand."

"I don't know what else I can do," fish cutter said in Mandarin.

Amy then retorted in Mandarin: "We can't do anything but [FairPrice] will know what to do. Ok?"

Asked the team leader why fish cutter cannot speak in English

A team leader at City Square's FairPrice outlet then attended to Amy's complaint about the fish cutter.

Amy asked the team leader why the fish cutter was not able to speak English.

"And she cannot commute (communicate) in English at all. She say she don't speak English at all.

So how do we, a customer and a member of NTUC, have such people to dealt with, you know?"

The team leader explained that was just a few months into the role and she can understand "simple" English terms.

However, Amy maintained that the fish cutter cannot speak English, adding that the fish cutter should not be placed at that station.

"If she cannot speak English, she don't understand what people want, she shouldn't be at that place especially, you know? She should [go] somewhere, which she can do other things without communicate with people."

Took issue with the way the fish was cut

Despite claiming that the fish was still edible, Amy took issue with the way the fish was cut, saying that the fish can no longer be cooked.

"This one she cut half of the fish. She think what? I want to cook what?

Don't tell me about cook, I am the Singapore most professional in Instagram, in Facebook, in TikTok. She gonna teach me this what?"

According to Amy, the fish had apparently been sliced from the stomach to the point before its tail.

"You know she cut differently, you know we are all locals."

The team leader tried to reassure Amy by saying the fish cutter has gone to classes and was equipped with the necessary skills required for her post.

Customer disagreed that it was a miscommunication

The team leader also tried to diffuse the situation by suggesting that it was a case of miscommunication.

However, Amy was not to be persuaded.

"It's not a communication (miscommunication), she cannot communicate. It's not miscommunication. I'm a Singaporean.

I'm a Malay, cakap Melayu (speak Malay). Dekat (In) Singapore, there are Malays, Indians, Chinese, Baba, Peranakan all interracial, Eurasian, all have. She's from China, she cannot speak and understand like us. And what's this fish? Apa ini (what is this)?"

Claimed the fish cutter fought back

Amy told the team leader that the fish cutter fought back when the pair was speaking.

The team leader tried to appease Amy by saying that the fish cutter is still in the midst of learning.

To this, Amy replied: "Learning tak learning (learning or not) you (referring to the fish cutter) have to be on par before she's over there."

Accepted a new fish

The team leader then offered Amy a new fish, which she accepted.

Amy and the team leader then returned to the fish-cutting station.

While walking through the supermarket aisles towards the fish-cutting station, Amy then made reference to what Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh said in Parliament recently.

During the Ministry of Home Affairs Committee of Supply debate session on Feb. 27, Singh said that he would advocate for an English test to be part of the assessment of a person's application for citizenship or permanent residency in Singapore.

Amy said in the video:

"Pritam Singh, you are right man. You are absolutely right. They need to go and learn English first before they come to work here OK. Already the payment, the pay S-Pass S$4,500 and they cannot talk English."

Team leader resolved issue eventually

At the fish-cutting station, the team leader helped ensure the fish was cut in the manner that Amy wanted by confirming with her before passing on the instruction to the fish cutter.

At one point, Amy said:

"She should know how to clean the fish la, the tail also must cut, like ma-pedicure. Tail also don't know how to cut then what's she doing there? Alamak."

The team leader then clarified: "Oh no, we want to know [if] you want the cut the tail or not la."

Amy did not give an exact answer and instead said: "You want to employ me, or not? I can cut the fish better than her."

"Ah, nevermind, I talk to the government tomorrow. Employ me, put me there, the same salary and take her out, I cut the fish like a flower," Amy continued.

After some back and forth, Amy sounded satisfied with how one of the fish was cut.

Amy said: "How to give me back? The tail cut already, don't need to give me back la, the tail. Ask her to cook tonight, the tail."

The video posted on YouTube has garnered over 60,000 views. The commenting function was disabled on this video post, which has been made private.

Fish was replaced at no cost

In response to Mothership's queries, a FairPrice spokesperson said the incident happened at 4pm on Mar. 20.

Amy was purchasing two sea bass, which was going at a promotion of two for S$9.50.

During the incident, the team leader replaced both of the fish that Amy was displeased with another two fish prepared according to Amy's preference and at no cost.

FairPrice acknowledged that Amy could have had a better shopping experience, and reassured Amy that the organisation will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, the spokesperson said.

The organisation welcomes Amy to contact them directly at 6380 5858 or via the online feedback form to provide more details.

The spokesperson added that the fish cutter will be sent for courses.

Remind the public to treat FairPrice employees with respect

On behalf of FairPrice, the spokesperson said: "We would also like to remind all our customers to treat our employees with respect as our in-store teams do their best daily to provide a pleasant shopping experience for all."

"While we do strive to serve our customers better and we recognise the concerns raised by the customer, we ask that customers also treat our staff with respect and courtesy," the spokesperson added.

Here's a transcript of the incident:

At the fish-cutting station

[...]

Amy in Mandarin: "You don't know how to speak English here? You're here and don't know how to speak English?"

Fish cutter in Mandarin: "I'm learning English."

Amy in Mandarin: "I want to let you know that I'm not Chinese."

Fish cutter in Mandarin: "I know you are not Chinese. Are you from Malaysia?"

Amy in Mandarin: "I am Singaporean."

Amy in a mix of English and Mandarin: "I want to report you to NTUC (referring to FairPrice) that you cannot speak in English."

Fish cutter in Mandarin: "But I'm still learning [English]."

Amy: "No, no, I don't understand."

Fish cutter in Mandarin: "I don't know what else I can do."

Amy in Mandarin: "We can't do anything but NTUC will know what to do. Ok?"

Amy: "So you clean the this one and then take out."

Fish cutter: "Clean? OK."

Speaking to City Square FairPrice team leader

Amy: " ... the fish department (referring to the outlet's fish cutting station)"

Team leader: "OK, the fresh one uh?"

Amy: " [Yes], the fresh one"

Team leader: "Sure, sure."

Amy: "There's a lady over there, she said that she's a Chinese national."

Team leader: "OK"

Amy: "And she cannot commute (sic) in English at all. She say she don't speak English at all."

Team leader: "OK."

Amy: "So how do we, a customer and a member of NTUC, have such people to dealt with (deal with such people), you know?"

Team leader: "Ah... OK..."

Amy: "Does she have a S-Pass or Work Pass? China S-Pass, right? Salary more than 4k (S$4,000), why she cannot speak English, huh?

Team leader: "OK. I need you to ..."

Amy: "If she can't do that, then she are not supposed to post over there (referring to the fish cutting station). She cannot communicate with anyone, you know?"

Team leader: " ... she can [understand] very simple [English] words."

Amy: "Oh, she said she don't understand at all. Let me show you"

Amy: " ... don't understand. If she cannot speak English, she don't understand what people want, she shouldn't be at that place especially, you know? She should [go] somewhere, which she can do other things without communicate with people. And with this convo, that one I showed you a short part ..."

Team leader: "Mm-hmm"

Amy: " ... this convo, she's still telling me that she cannot do anything because you know, communication breakdown mei you ban fa means we cannot do anything. so mei you ban fa, then how? How? mei you ban fa? Then how do you explain my fish like this?

[...]

Amy: "What's your name? How do you explain cutting the (referring to fish)? I go Sheng Siong the fish also not like that.

Team leader: "OK..."

Amy: "It's on sale, it's S$9 for two sea bass, it's nice, but ..."

Team leader says something that cannot be made out

Amy: " ... you can eat la, but ..."

Team leader: " ... different la, not to what you want la"

Amy: "You know she cut differently, you know we are all locals. Look, right? And if she can't commute (communicate), how can you put her there?"

Team leader: "Actually she went to class [so] she must already know how to cut the fish so it might be a little bit of [miscommunication] la ..."

Amy: "It's not a communication (sic), she cannot communicate. It's not miscommunication. I'm a Singaporean. I'm a Malay, cakap Melayu (speak Malay)."

Amy: "Dekat (In) Singapore, there are Malays, Indians, Chinese, Baba, Peranakan all interracial, Eurasian, all have. She's from China, she cannot speak and understand like us. And what's this fish? Apa ini (what is this)?"

Amy: "Dia potong sabah kat bawah perut (she cut till the bottom of its stomach)."

Team leader: "I see..."

Amy: "Faham tak (you understand)?"

Team leader: "Faham, faham (I understand, I understand)."

Amy: You can faham (understand). Dia nak faham apa (what can she understand)? You masok army dulu, huh (you completed your National Service already)?"

Amy: "Ah Malaysia tau (know) Malay, huh?Abeh dia paham apa? Lepas tu bila kita cakap dengan dia, dia nak lawan balik.(But what can she understand? Because when I talked to her, she wants to fight back) She want to 'Mei you ban fa' (I don't know what else to do). You think what, I don't speak...understand a little bit of English uh?"

Team leader: "... learning steps la (referring to the fish cutter)"

Amy: "Learning tak learning (learning or not) you (she) have to be on par before she's over there. You should know better, you are TL, you are team leader, [because of] where you come from, you know, you have to put, you have to understand the whole entire processing (process) of your job scope and then after that you go to TL, right?"

Team leader: "Mm-hmm"

Amy: "We all Singaporean, we all work this way what. Dia tak faham cakap orang putih (she can't speak English), you put her there."

Team leader says something that cannot be made out.

Amy: "Ini ikan sepanjang-panjang alam dia potong, kau tengok. Memang dua S$9 kan? Ikan ini nak masak apa, dah potong ini? Abeh, ni macam mane, cakap? (You see, she has cut the fish all the way from the top to the bottom. It's two for $S9, right? How do I cook the fish now, after it's been cut like this? What should I do now then?)"

Team leader: "So you want her to cut...?"

Amy: "Now you have to explain to her, you have...you cannot cut the fish like that

Team leader: "OK..."

Amy: "She have to descale the fish first. Take out and clean everything. And there is a limit to up to where the fish to cut. This one she cut half of the fish. She think what? I want to cook what? Don't tell me about cook (sic), I am the Singapore most professional in Instagram, in Facebook, in TikTok. She gonna teach me this what?"

Team leader: "OK... So you want the person to cut up...?"

Amy: "Huh what?"

Team leader: " ... so you want for let her to cut a new one or?"

Amy: "Oh, then you go and tell her la, huh? Because saya tak faham nak cakap dengan dia (I don't understand how to talk to her)."

Team leader: "OK."

Amy: "OK, then you take the fish. Ah, ambil (take)."

Team leader: "You want her to. OK, so ..."

Walking through aisles

Amy: "Not I want her, is how usually people cut fish. If she cannot cut fish, then don't put her there. Betul, tak? Cepat jalan. Eh jalan mana? Sana? OK, jom. Ke kanan pusing (Correct or not? Walk fast. Eh, walk where? There? Ok, let's go. Turn right)."

Amy: "Ah, cakap dengan dia ... jangan tengok tengok, jangan nak kaypoh (Ah, you talk to her ... stop looking at us, don't be nosy)."

Amy: "Itu la dia OK. Saya kat NTUC. Memang kecoh, kalau dah tarok orang cina, orang China kerja kat sini, tak mau maham (It's like this la, OK. Here's the problem, a Chinese person, a Chinese national, is working here and they won't understand [English])".

Amy: " ... cannot understand me. We cannot communicate. Pritam Singh, you are right man. You are absolutely right. They need to go and learn English first before they come to work here OK. Already the payment, the pay S-Pass S$4,500 and they cannot talk English."

Back at fish-cutting station

Amy: "Where you come from, sir? Myanmar? Two for S$9.50. Two, S$9.50. She don't understand what you talking."

Team leader: "So the tail, you want her to cut also, the tail? "

Amy: "She should know how to clean the fish la, the tail also must cut, like ma-pedicure. Tail also don't know how to cut then what's she doing there? Alamak."

Team leader: "Oh no, we want to know [if] you want the cut the tail or not la."

Amy: "You want to employ me, or not? I can cut the fish better than her."

Team leader: "I cannot do this... "

Amy: "Ah, nevermind, I talk to the government tomorrow. Employ me, put me there, the same salary and take her out, I cut the fish like a flower."

Amy: "Huh? She cutting fish but she don't know how to cut the fish. How long she working there already? Huh, Ah Chun?"

Team leader: "Few months, few months."

Amy: "Few months already? Few months and she don't know how to cut the fish."

Video continues after being cut off but still at fish-cutting station

Amy: "Apa dia cakap? Apa dia cakap? (What is she saying? What is she saying?)"

*Team leader replies something that cannot be heard clearly.*

Amy: "Ya but why she cut the fish until so long?"

Team leader: "Normally, normally ..."

Amy: "She can just cut until here. Why she have to cut until all the way here?"

Team leader: "OK. So now she cut until here only la so not until here la. So we just meet your that one, your demand so we cut only until here only."

Amy: "She have to cut all the fish that way. I am a chef, I know. Don't need to teach me how to cut a fish. If she cut halfway too full full, 95 per cent of this she's going to open like a restaurant like that, you think I go and cook in restaurant, huh? Mampos, tak, nak (You tell me if you will faint, or not)?

Team leader: "This one ... can? Not until the ... "

Amy: "Ya. This one is much better."

Team leader: "Much better, huh?"

Amy: "Ya, because you tell her what to do. Because you can talk Mandarin, I cannot talk to her. Then why she go and cut the whole entire tail? The tail only cut three-quarter, like this. She go and cut the whole tail. For what? You want to go bring back home and cook is it?"

*Some aunty came to the fish-cutting station, presumably another FairPrice employee, as the fish-cutter asked the aunty why she took so long to come.*

Aunty, in Mandarin: "You must speak in English, and speak properly, so people can understand you."

Amy: "Dui (correct in chinese), correct. Ni shuo de dui (what you said is correct), aunty."

Aunty: "China girl ah ..."

Amy: "Yes. She China, but when I talk to her, she want to argue back with me."

Amy: "Ah. Dia ingat dia pandai sangat kat sini. Ni dia punya negeri? Dia punya S-Pass you tau berapa ribu kamu bayar. Dia punya gaji lagi besar daripada kita tau? Abeh dia potong ikan, ikan punya tail semua tak ada, tengok. (She think she very clever here. Is this her country? Do you know how many hundreds of dollars you're paying for her S-Pass? Did you know her salary is more than ours? All this but she still don't know how to cut fish. When she cut the fish, the tail is completely removed, you see.)"

Amy: "Ni kan, ni qu kan. Ni kan la, ni kan. (You see, you go and see. You see la, you see.)"

*Aunty says something in Mandarin.*

Amy in a mixture of Mandarin, Malay and Hokkien: "Aunty jiu zhi dao. Aunty know how to- Aunty, wo gen ni jiang ah. You mau potong ini ikan, huh, ta (referring to the fish cutter in Mandarin) potong sampai habis. (Aunty definitely know. Aunty know how to- Aunty, I tell you hor. If you want to cut this fish. She sliced all the way through the bottom half of the fish.) Second punya ikan ini ekor tak ada, you cakap. An ni kuan zhe eh chabor? (For the second fish, the tail disappeared. You tell me. Why is she like this?)"

Aunty: "The tail don't cut too ..."

Amy: "Ya, you see aunty say correct. The tail don't cut until all."

Aunty: "Left the tail give you back then can already."

Amy: "How to give me back? The tail cut already, don't need to give me back la, the tail. Ask her to cook tonight, the tail."

Top image screenshot from Amy Tashiana/YouTube