Ms Grace Fu & her Anti-Chope Movement

[Ender]

Maybe all those hawker centre in CBD should be made for standing only. Only tall tables. People just eat and go.

[Angcheek]

xmm and syt can sit on your lap while waiting for seat mah

 

you should help them...hmmm...milf also can lah

 

but ah soh auntie cannot lor

 

 

but hor...nowadays...sg ones got alot of OEM silicone leh

Hahha ... i got to touch first else cant tell .

 

U different... u Master level liao ... one look can tell

[Inlinefour]

Hahha ... i got to touch first else cant tell .

 

U different... u Master level liao ... one look can tell

[Icedbs]

 I usually choose the table with chio bu, makes lunch more enjoyable

 

I had once such experience, but they were bitching about their colleagues, neighbours, boyfriends, husbands and a lot of gossiping here and there.

 

Honestly, I can't wait to finish my food and leave.....

[Tianmo]

The challenge is that in the corporate environment, they need conformity to work

 

if different departments or companies have lunch at different hours, it is very difficult to organise meetings or plan certain job activities together. Not that it cannot be done, but the planning can be tricky especially if it is a big meeting involving many people.

 

I think same reason why most companies still stick to 9-5 routine for easy planning.

 

I remember last time in Msia, private sector has off days on Sat and Sunday, but public sector (or even some schools) had their off days on Thursday and Friday.  You really have to plan the activities well because if you miss out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, you will need to wait 4 days before you can get your stuff done. Not sure if they are still the same today.

 

There are general rules, and there are local rules. Conformity depends on who sets the local rules, it is a matter of who is willing to change and who is not.  Things like lunch time is not a fixed rule, not by MOM non is it by any head offices, as long as the staffs are not short charge of the rest breaks. 

 

I have a local management team, who decides on most of the local rules. Things like CNY ang bao, paid half days off on eve major season PHs, festive makans, family days, team buildings, etc. All these are local rules nobody say difficult to follow.  

 

Most meetings are pre-arranged,  ppl involve are aware of the time and duration involve, esp large scale meetings. If a meeting is scheduled at 1pm, then everyone make own arrangement to be at the meeting at 1pm. Have early lunch or after the meeting? One day miss that 12.30pm lunch will die of hunger? How long would a meeting last? 3 hours? 4 hours? Any meeting more than 1 hr per session is waste of time, means ppl come unprepared. 

 

Its all a matter of making changes rather than because others are doing so I better stay the same. I have a flexi lunch system, because I want to make sure there is someone in the office at all time, to answer calls and receive couriers. Customers and suppliers can call us anytime within the working days and there will be someone to pick up their calls. In other words, the office is always manned.

 

Staffs are happy with the system because they can make use of their lunch break to do their personal things, no need to fight with others during "lunch" time. Within the department they make their arrangements, is not that difficult as long as ppl benefit and understand how it can benefit. 

 

I think is in Johor, their official weekends start on Friday and Sun is their day one of working week. Means Johor weekends are Fri and Sat, so their gov offices dont work on Fri and Sat. 

 

Again it is a matter of knowing the schedules and planning for it. If you work with our local gov departments, you will know that their decision making board only meet once a month to agree or disagree, if you cannot get a green light this meeting, you will have to come back next month. what is 1 week compare to 1 month? It is all about planning and making plans, if you always fight fire with meetings, then it has nothing to do with what time is your lunch time.     

Edited June 5, 2019 by Tianmo

[Tianmo]

Actually those who really need to reserve a seat are those eating alone. Those eating in a group can leave one fellow to garrison the table and seats while the others help him order his food - this is more socially acceptable.

 

Then again if I am eating alone, I just sit where there's an empty seat, even if it's in the middle of a group. Don't care awkward or not. Most groups don't object to giving me the single leftover seat at the table, knowing it's a crowded time. I usually choose the table with chio bu, makes lunch more enjoyable

 

 

I think the problem is with that person garrison the table. 

 

Most times I see is because the rest go buy food, and usually  a few will come back together, then the guard go buy his food, by the time he gets back, most of the ppl in the grp would be more than half way done with their food, by the time he starts eating, some would have finished their meals. Worse is if he get stuck with a long queue at the food stall, then he came back to have everyone looking at him eat.  

 

Thats when all the talking in the grp starts, because they cannot leave him alone there since he choped the table for them. And then you have the cleaner given order to clean the table asap, so we end up seeing grps talking after meals in a crowed food court, while waiting for the last man to finish his food.     

[SGMCF328]

From a layman perspective, how can I buy food first without securing a seat? Several time I am alone and had a hard time finding a seat after getting my food. And sometimes with kids and old folks moving around without paying attention to the surrounding, it just increase the risk of getting someone injure some day.

 

If the minister is serious about improving the graciousness of people, why not look into encouraging table sharing, or to get those that finished their meal to clear their table as soon as possible?

[1fast1]

Lazy to type again so let me quote myself from donkey years ago.

 

Link: https://www.mycarforum.com/topic/2636530-tissue-paper-chopping-table/?view=findpost&p=6093863

 

I don't read the MSM (don't want to pollute my mind), so I don't know exactly what the article said. But those who rail against seat "chope"-ing simply haven't considered the pain of having your hands full of hot food that's rapidly cooling but being unable to find a seat to eat, with people jostling you and giving you f**ked up dirty looks every few seconds. It's especially dire for someone who comes to lunch alone, having no one to hold the table or buy the food on his/her behalf. Groups aren't as affected by this. So is it really fair to penalise the lone lunch goer? He/she might have been working especially hard and therefore come rushing to have a quick bite right during peak hour before rushing back to work.

 

 

 

I propose a "uniquely Singaporean" solution. Much like the supermarket trolleys, I think we should have a universal reservation system on a per-seat basis where people reserve seats by depositing a $1 coin into a slot by the seat. That gives a visible indication (say by an LED indicator) that the seat has been reserved. No one else is supposed to take that seat (and security can help sort out disagreements - no one can plead "misunderstandings" like with the tissue thing since this will be a universal and official system). This way, people are assured of getting a seat when they come back with their food.

 

 

 

Table reservations can either be forbidden entirely (each individual diner has to reserve a seat) or it can be implemented by a (say) $3 deposit into a central slot that reserves the table.

 

 

 

I'm thinking of further tweaks (e.g. to discourage prolonged seat hogging, which has no solution even now).

Basically no point looking for "gracious" solutions in a country largely bereft of social graces. Money and a first come first served queuing/ticketing system has a proven track record of working in Singapore, so let's go with that. Now we have contactless cashless payment cards to make deposits and reclaim them at the end, so even better.

 

I agree with some of the other solutions like staggering lunch hours, but they are, at best, adjunctive measures. Do those, but do this too.

Edited June 5, 2019 by Turboflat4

[Icedbs]

There are general rules, and there are local rules. Conformity depends on who sets the local rules, it is a matter of who is willing to change and who is not.  Things like lunch time is not a fixed rule, not by MOM non is it by any head offices, as long as the staffs are not short charge of the rest breaks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If it is local rules within same company, I think can still manage. 

 

But if different companies different lunch time just to avoid building peak lunch crowd, I think that's going to be hard especially for B2B companies. Also certain industries will be tough to do this.....for eg construction or factory workers which need certain regimental routine for productivity purposes.

 

Same reason why most companies still keep their operating hours around 9-5 even though they know that opening and closing at different hours could have mitigate peak traffic hours.

[Tianmo]

If it is local rules within same company, I think can still manage. 

 

But if different companies different lunch time just to avoid building peak lunch crowd, I think that's going to be hard especially for B2B companies. Also certain industries will be tough to do this.....for eg construction or factory workers which need certain regimental routine for productivity purposes.

 

Same reason why most companies still keep their operating hours around 9-5 even though they know that opening and closing at different hours could have mitigate peak traffic hours.

 

Flexi lunch hrs are flexible, it doesnt mean the whole office go for lunch at a fixed hour different from the rest of the world. Within each department, they decides among themselves what time who goes for lunch, so that at every one time someone from the department is ard.  

 

First off, the sales ppl are flexible already,  nobody bothers what time they eat because they are always out. The  ppl who are office bonded, they split up, some go at 11am, some go at 12, some go at 1pm. It is no different from office and shops opening and operating at different time.

 

Many factories start work as early as 7am, most offices in Jurong star work between 8am-8.30am,  most shops open at 11am, and mostly CBD offices work 9-5. I am sure some one will work with someone in this cycle, so if someone in the CBD works with some factories in Jurong, they have a 2 hrs different in starting work, how are they managing that B2B business?  What then is a 1 hr lunch different going to be any different to that 2 hrs different in start work timing?

 

Construction and factory workers dine in, mainly they get tabao food and they hardly make up the crowd during "lunch" hours, so they can keep to that usual "lunch" time for all they want, as long as it work for the production process. In any case, many machine operators also dont have fix lunch time, because the machine cannot stop, so they will have to wait for the line leader to come and take over before they can go eat. Construction workers mostly eat at job sites and faster go sleep, they also dont make up the "lunch" hour crowd, makes no different what time they eat. 

 

The main reason most CBD offices are sticking to 9-5 is because everyone is doing it, not that they cannot change the timing of working hours. HR just didnt want to do extra work lah.     

[Ender]

From a layman perspective, how can I buy food first without securing a seat? Several time I am alone and had a hard time finding a seat after getting my food. And sometimes with kids and old folks moving around without paying attention to the surrounding, it just increase the risk of getting someone injure some day.

 

If the minister is serious about improving the graciousness of people, why not look into encouraging table sharing, or to get those that finished their meal to clear their table as soon as possible?

Actually my experience is opposite. I find being alone is easier to get a seat, coz more 4 seater  table are not utilised to it's fullest, sure got one seat left if you just ask. 

 

But with a group it's harder, unless you want to split the group.

[Throttle2]

Lazy to type again so let me quote myself from donkey years ago.

 

Link: https://www.mycarforum.com/topic/2636530-tissue-paper-chopping-table/?view=findpost&p=6093863

 

Basically no point looking for "gracious" solutions in a country largely bereft of social graces. Money and a first come first served queuing/ticketing system has a proven track record of working in Singapore, so let's go with that. Now we have contactless cashless payment cards to make deposits and reclaim them at the end, so even better.

 

I agree with some of the other solutions like staggering lunch hours, but they are, at best, adjunctive measures. Do those, but do this too.

Absolutely honest and true.

 

Graciousness in 20 30 40 50 yrs?

Wait long long , Singapore. Not in anyones lifetime here.

 

Want to use a tray, 20cts

Tray didnt return, fine another 50cts

Supermarket carts pushed to nowwhere, jailable offence

Parking like an idiot blocking other cars, wheel lock

PMD errant usage, confiscation and big fine

Cyclist hogging roads, fine and ban from riding

Public toilet abuse, increase household utility tariffs and fine.

 

Good luck Singapore,

World class nation

[Volvobrick]

Absolutely honest and true.

 

Graciousness in 20 30 40 50 yrs?

Wait long long , Singapore. Not in anyones lifetime here.

 

Want to use a tray, 20cts

Tray didnt return, fine another 50cts

Supermarket carts pushed to nowwhere, jailable offence

Parking like an idiot blocking other cars, wheel lock

PMD errant usage, confiscation and big fine

Cyclist hogging roads, fine and ban from riding

Public toilet abuse, increase household utility tariffs and fine.

 

Good luck Singapore,

World class nation

No use one lah... Just look at the potential fines and punishment for PMD, littering etc. But with lack of enforcement, the situation never improves.

 

Unless everyone can suka suka clamp or fine the culprits and take a 30 percent cut from the fines.

[inlinesix]

hmmm quite true .. thats one thing good about FT . their boobs are all min C . 

 

SG one is Airport runway. 

 

Like Stephanie Sun huh?

:XD:

[Kb27]

No outside food and drinks allowed

No pets allowed

No choping allowed

[Kusje]

I dont think that she asked the policeman to chope the lot.

 

I think it is probably the superior of the policeman who wanted to make sure that there was a lot available for VIP.

 

I have never had an issue with choping although i personally dont do it.

In Hawker centers, i usually just sit where i find tissue papers.

The tissue paper is placed there by kind people for our use, isnt it?

I am also quite kind, i dont finish using the tissue paper and after my meal i leave it there for the next person.

 

She might not have ordered the lot to be reserved but I am sure she knew it has been reserved for her.

[Kopites]

I'm really puzzled by this anti-chope-ing moment by some jokers.

 

First and foremost, isn't it same as placing a reservation at restaurant / cafe? Anyone else know of any restaurant that allow customers to place order for their food, WITHOUT ensuring that the customers are seated / or has a table for them?

 

Next, from safety, or I should say logic point of view, isn't it more dangerous for people carry say a tray of boiling hot soup to wonder around the whole food court / hawker center hunting for a place to sit down? What is wrong with having the patron securing a seat before proceeding to buy food, especially since the cleaner also need time to go around clearing tables.

 

Instead of targeting at patron that chope seats during peak hour, why not look into SKM program to encourage people (notice I don't use patron?) to stop occupying tables after they are "done" (mobile phone zombie especially) during meal hours? Don't it make more sense in our kind of environment?

 

 

 

This is an classic example of losing touch with the ground...

 

 

 

The actual culprits are those table hoggers... chit chat / gossip, watch video / play game on mobile phone, etc. even when their plates and utensils has long been cleared by the cleaner.

in fact I did come across a vegetarian restaurant that take orders while customer are waiting line. I did ask the waitres....to cut down waiting time at the table. turn over of table pretty fast though.

[StreetFight3r]

Grace Fu no "ren yuan".in fact alot of our poliyicians same like her another one to mention is Chan chun sing.when they smile u cringe because it looks so fake.i wonder how many of them actually walk the talk to buy food b4 lookin for seats. N wad happens when u have 2 young kids wit u? They shd emphasize more on the return tray n plates counter instead of chopping of seats.shortage of cleaners durin peak hrs if people clear up afeer themselves tables will be freed up faster. Have more plate or tray return counters in full view..

Edited June 6, 2019 by StreetFight3r