In Singapore, if a table has a tissue packet, a water bottle, an umbrella, a lanyard, or literally anything on it, it's reserved.

No questions asked.

But as one person in Sydney, Australia, recently found out, chope-ing isn't universal.

Notepad left on table

In a TikTok, Chloe Baradinski wanted to find out if she was right or wrong, as she described an interaction she had with a fellow patron in a busy food court in Sydney's central business district.

@chloebaradinsky

Keep in mind, he was away from “his table” for 15 minutes getting food

♬ original sound - Chloe

She started off by asking, "Guys, who is in the wrong here?".

According to Baradinski, she was on her lunch break and secured her food.

She then located what she thought was an unoccupied table, which only had a notepad on it.

"Maybe someone's just left it," she said before explaining she assumed the person would come back to collect it once they realised they'd lost their notepad.

And they did come back.

Reserve a table at a food court?

After she dug into her laksa, a man showed up at her table, holding a plate of food, saying he had reserved the table.

"Reserve the table? At a food court?" she asked, incredulous that such an alien concept existed.

She said: "I'm sorry, but you can't reserve tables."

She added that the man explained that he had left the notepad on the table, which is practised in some countries, whilst he went to order his food.

Other patron declined sharing table

Baradinski described him as a 50-year-old man who was "so rude, so, so rude to [her]".

She offered him a seat at her table, which he declined, replying, "I don't want to sit with you".

The TikTok user then suggested the man find a new table: "I'm sorry, we're not at [a popular restaurant], you can't reserve a table at a food court when it's like 12:30[pm] on a Tuesday — peak lunchtime."

The TikTok, posted on Tuesday, has amassed more than 400,000 views.

Chope-ing is not unique to Singapore

In 2022, Singaporeans were outraged when TikToker Matcha Samurai implied chope-ing only happened in Japan.

@matcha_samurai I wish I could do this anywhere in the world 😂 #matchasamurai #didyoubowtho #fyp ♬ original sound - Matcha Samurai

The Singlish word "chope" is derived from the word “chop” and simply means to leave one's mark.

Although a uniquely Singaporean term, reserving tables by leaving an item on it isn't unique to Singapore.

It's also practised in Japan, South Korea, Norway, and the U.A.E.

And whilst it may be deeply ingrained in Singapore's hawker culture, it's a foreign concept to most commenters on Baradinski's TikTok.

The verdict

There are more than 800 comments on the TikTok, with most commenters agreeing with Baradinski that tables in food courts cannot be reserved.

One commenter pointed out that with high crime rates, it's often unsafe to leave your belongings unattended.

If you do use a bag to chope, it's likely to be stolen, unlike in Singapore.

Several commenters recounted their experiences visiting Asia, with some saying they noticed this practice in Singapore, saying it was "so strange".

But for the most part, commenters agreed that there is no reservation system for food courts in Australia, with one saying "it makes no sense to have a vacant table unused for 10 minutes while someone queues for food in a crowded food court".

If you're a solo diner in an Australian food court, good luck.

Top images from @chloebaradinsky/TikTok