Boy, 5, eats bee hoon, gets wire stuck in throat, Punggol stall staff accused of responding dismissively
The staff later said her harsh tone was not intentional.
By
Khine Zin Htet
July 18, 2024, 06:00 PM
A five-year-old boy was eating bee hoon at a food stall in Punggol when he suddenly complained of a pain in his mouth.
His parents checked and discovered a piece of wire lodged in his throat.
When the boy's father informed the stall staff about the incident, her response was allegedly dismissive: "What do you want me to do about it?"
Angered by the attitude the staff displayed, the boy's mother, identified as Bellelina Chew on Facebook group Complaint Singapore, shared her experience online.
Wire was around 1cm long
The incident occurred at a coffee shop at Block 653A Punggol Drive, reported Shin Min Daily News.
In a hurry to remove the metal piece, Chew did not take pictures of the foreign object in her son's throat.
She noted that the wire was approximately 1cm long when it was extracted.
She criticised the stall staff of not being apologetic and lacking a proactive response, stating they will not be patronising the stall anymore.
Chew said she was relieved that her son had not swallowed the wire, but voiced concern about the potential danger to other customers.
Stall staff's explanation
A Shin Min reporter visited the stall, where the staff Xu Aizhu (transliteration from Chinese) expressed her intention to refund the victim and improve kitchen practices.
Xu explained that she typically uses a metallic dishwashing scrub for washing after cooking.
She acknowledged that the incident occurred during a busy period, which might have led to her sounding harsh and flippant, and causing the misunderstanding.
"We admitted our mistakes and did not shirk responsibility. We may have been busy at the time and did not pay so much attention to the customer, but we definitely did not ignore him," she said.
Xu mentioned that she had asked the boy's father what actions she should take, but he left immediately after speaking.
"He didn't give me a chance to explain. We will pay more attention in the future," she added.
Top photos from Bellelina Chew/Facebook and Shin Min Daily News
