SINGAPORE: A tourist complained on social media after finding out that some restaurants in Singapore don’t give out free napkins.
In a post on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum, the tourist questioned why restaurants and food stalls could readily hand out single-use items like plastic forks, chopsticks, and even complimentary sambal sauce, but fail to provide something as basic and essential as napkins.
“Where are the napkins?!?! How come no napkins? Like, you eat, you have to wipe your mouth, no? I ran around the whole food court, over 10 shops. No free napkins anywhere!” they exclaimed.
The tourist also compared their experience to other countries, stating, “Every other country I visited gives out napkins at every food place. Here, it seems you’d have to be at a proper sit-down restaurant to get napkins haha. Do you guys actually carry napkins with you?!”
“Napkins are a luxury”
In the comments section, a few Singaporean Redditors explained that restaurants used to provide free napkins, but over time, some patrons started taking advantage of it by grabbing entire stacks for their personal use.
As a result, many eateries decided to change their policy and stopped offering free napkins altogether.
One Redditor said, “Cutlery and sambal are a necessity and hence included as part of the meal service. Napkins, on the other hand, are a luxury. Most people bring their own anyway, what else are we going to use to chope our tables.”
Another commented, “At food court, I have not experienced any store that gives napkins except for ordering western food that requires me to use my bare hands. I use my handkerchief or bring some napkins/toilet paper myself when I am eating outside. If there is a toilet there, most people just wash their hands and mouth there after eating instead.”
A third commented, “The problem is that you are trying to get it at a food court, which is supposed to be a budget eating place. And yes, I bring my own tissues when going to eat at a food court.”
Others mentioned that the tourist could find napkins or tissues at coffee shop drink stalls. One Redditor remarked, “Tissue are 30 cents at coffee shop drinks store. It’s $1 if you’re feeling generous to those walking around selling.”
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
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