IT IS lunch hour on a Saturday afternoon and the Kopitiam foodcourt is teeming with hungry people. Madam Kannagasundri Sinnathamby, 47, weaves deftly between tables, loading her tray with empty plates and soiled utensils.

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Many on these forums already said that they won't return the bowls - deliberately. They probably will also mess up the tables. They believe that they have paid for the cost of the cleaners so should make sure that they are utilized.

It is so lecheh to clear the tables after a meal at kopitiam la. Oily and messy and the diners are mostly not prepared to do it. The worst lots are the ones who have finished their meal and still stuck at their seat. Practice Geylang's etiquette la, finish and get up and then get vanished in the crowd la.

I was against the "tissue-chupping" seat mentality of singaporeans initially but my friend led me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. His arguement is this, if you can chup seat using tissue, everyone can go and order their food at the same time, directly resulting in less time occupying the table on average as you do not need a person waiting at the seat while others order food and the waiting party only to waste time ordering again when the others are done. Makes sense.

Geylang crowd?
Sure or not. More like vanish into a ***** house and into the well manicured bushes of the fair skin ladies, isn't it?

So do the most destruction since already paid for attitude of spoilt brats and social misfits, isn't it? Leave the table in the worst mess possible for the old lady or gentleman cleaner to pick up after you and mop up after you, isn't it? Pitiful.

Food court woes. First, we declare those who reserve eating places as "kiasu", now we derride others who would not return their trays.

I would lament the lack of space in the foodcourts, poor design, and of course our own eating culture. Everyone has the same 12pm to 2pm lunch window. Foodcourts are packed, especially those in the CBD or industrial areas during that time. Imagine people walking around with a tray of hot soup, literally, looking for a seat with the risk of knocking into others? Half the time spent in queuing for food, another half in looking around for a table? So why not "reserve"? I used too, to get annoyed with these people. Not until I had lunch in the CBD area did I understand.

The tables are getting tinier and tinier, just like the homes we live in. If 3 or more persons sit at a round table, there will be no space for trays. Logical thing to do is to remove the trays. When meal is done, no trays to return used (don't know why people say "soiled") crockery. Food court operators want to pack the customers in, but they do not care how the customers are packed in.

Has anyone noticed that trays are seldom wiped/rinsed or washed before re-use? Often I had to carry my food with the previous patron's soup running down the tray. Once, I had to endure the sight of a large footprint on the tray (from the foodcourt at the SGH).

I would clean up my own mess after eating, leave the dirty tissue paper inside the empty crockery so that it can be poured away along with whatever leftover into the bins, instead of having it fly everywhere. I would (and have) returned my own food tray, if the returning station is clean.

Food court operators - if you want others to help you, you got to help them first.

So stop telling people that they are ungracious, etc. You made them so.

Some people are just pigs. When I visit Singapore or even any American food court, I carry disinfecting wipes just to insure tht my eating space is as scrupoutlously clean as possible. Among the American brands available is Chlorox and Lysol. If push comes to shove, there are disinfectant sprays and tissue.

As far as public spitting, some people were not raised with any socially redeeming values so I blame the parents.

Stuart D. Schnell
Los Angeles, California USA

Poor cleaners... get peanuts & ppl expect too much, to clean such a mess !!
Even if u can't find any tray station, the least u can do is to pick up the bones & mess you left on the table (if u r without tray), deposit it back on yr plate and clean the area where u eat !!
Sharing table with others... I used to get stares when I do this !
Disgusting people !

Disgusting people.

Spoilt brats and social misfits do not have the GP and AP values ingrained in them from age 6, isn't it?

provide clearly labeled and easily identifiable tray collection area to encourage people to clean up after themselves. or provide a 50cents/1dollar "rebate" to everyone who brings back their own trays to the collection point.
1 reason why Singaporeans now have habit of not cleaning up is because in the past cleaners are very efficient at cleaning up. In fast food restaurants too. Many years ago I wanted to clear my own tray in Mac's but the cleaning auntie say no need, just to leave it on the table and let her do it.

I guess she is also worried that if many people clear their own trays, she will be out of a job.