Singapore Expats

First days i came n started my work in SG i went with my colleague (also newbie from UK) to local kopitiam for a lunch...place was overcrowded...and suddenly we saw an empty table with a tissue paper pack on it...smiling and happy not only we sat at this table, but my clg also took this tissue paper to mop his sweating brow...How suprised we were then 5 ppl with a big plates of chiken rice surrounded us....telling"sorry sorry sorry" and explaining the situation...that table was occupied...so we had to leave this table and hungry and angry drove back to another place!!! Luckely these ppl were not rude to us and explained situation nicely...it's just a local method to reserve the table before you go to order the food

just wanted to share my experience with all expats

This is generally the very first thing one learns in Singapore. The rude practice of choping a table in a fast food place, thereby keeping anyone from using the table for up to 20 minutes if it happens to be in a place like BurgerKing in International Plaza at lunchtime when the lines are 15 to 20 people deep. But it's no worse than school kids and insurance agents staying there for hours on end with a single coke or coffee just taking up valuable space.

I kinda like the practice... It's fair game for anyone with a packet of tissues to reserve tables then go buy a meal.. works both ways. I stopped complaining about it once I realized I could do it too

I was at Ocean Park yesterday and went to watch the show. The place was packed as it's the summer holidays. What surprised me was that almost nobody reserved seats for family or friends. If your butt wasn't planted on a seat it was fair game for everyone else. In Singapore it's normal to send one or two people to 'chope' seats for the rest of the gang.

Actually I like what Cat and friends did... take the seats anyway and even use the tissues! That made me laugh. I think if more people did just that and refused to give up the seats, we may one day eradicate this annoying habit. I have many times been stranded with a tray of food and no seat, but could never bring myself to tell someone that he has to give way to my tissue.

Hmm, time for another government campaign: "No Chope-ing; Fine one packet of tissue paper".

[quote="Wind In My Hair"]I was at Ocean Park yesterday and went to watch the show. The place was packed as it's the summer holidays. What surprised me was that almost nobody reserved seats for family or friends. If your butt wasn't planted on a seat it was fair game for everyone else. In Singapore it's normal to send one or two people to 'chope' seats for the rest of the gang.

Actually I like what Cat and friends did... take the seats anyway and even use the tissues! That made me laugh. I think if more people did just that and refused to give up the seats, we may one day eradicate this annoying habit. I have many times been stranded with a tray of food and no seat, but could never bring myself to tell someone that he has to give way to my tissue.

Hmm, time for another government campaign: "No Chope-ing; Fine one packet of tissue paper". [/quote

i do agree with WIMH.. .its ok to chope but whats wrong with one person sitting to let others know the seats are taken ... instead of putting tissue???

they do the same in private schoo during the class lessons, friends "chope" seats with pens or other stationery ... this is unfair for those who are punctual and would like to sit in front etc ...

i would refuse to budge and share the seat if they want .. i think pple should use some common sense than to use "tissue".. what am i supposed to think??

Still dunt agree...cause smtimes one can chop whole row!!!!! for his family members...friends...friends of their friends....n some seats just in case

OP: Before I came to this thread, I already guessed what you were going to say. Next time someone is going to claim the table by saying he has a piece of hair on your table.

Surprises You guys are just around tissue papers.., I have seen ppl marking their territory with Identification Cards Hand kerchief and with Spectacles too.

Hilarious..

no one marks the table with a condom?

renter wrote:no one marks the table with a condom?

good idea! then nobody never approach t table...but must make sure that its a used one...otherwise ppl can grab it for further use

o'k...this tend to be very meaningless