Incident with SAM (Stupid Ang Mo) at NUS
I am currently helping out at a friend’s food stall at NUS (National University of Singapore). It is located at the Prince George Park (PGP) dormitory canteen (Dining Hall). 90% of our customers are international students and I’ve been helping out for over a month without much complains. Today is different. It is the first time that some Ang Mo (White) Student disrespected me, IN MY OWN COUNTRY.
Here’s the story. Four students (presumably from Europe, according to their accent) bought four bowls of baked rice from our store today. After ordering their food, they proceeded to a table in front of the stall. When their food was ready, I called out to them to collect their meals.
One of the students, whom I shall call SAM (Stupid Ang Mo), signaled me to bring the food to them. As I was serving other customers at that point in time, I told him to come and collect the food himself. (Mind you, SAM and his friends were seated right in front of us) In reply, he claimed that I should bring their orders (all four) to them as one of them was in clutches and has trouble walking.
Naturally, I refused. I felt that that SAM was an able-bodied adult, and he should have had the common sense to help his injured friend collect his food rather than me serving them.
When SAM saw that I wasn’t going to budge, he relented and collected the food himself.
He then said in a harsh tone to me, ”Can’t your see that he (referring to his friend) can’t walk? Why can’t you bring the food to us?”
I replied, “Yes, your friend can’t walk. But you can right? Can’t you bring the food to him instead?”
SAM then proceeded in “reprimanding” me. He said that it is not as if they didn’t pay for the rice. (It’s only S$3.50 per bowl of rice. No service charge, no tips)
By then, I was already quite pissed off and I retorted, “This is a FOOD COURT. Don’t treat us like servants. Come on, you are in Singapore.”
As he walked back to his seat, he exclaimed, “Yeah. And it’s a disgrace (to Singapore).”
I’m not sure how canteens work in European Universities, but here in Singapore (and even in the US), after ordering your food; you wait in line and bring your own food back to your seat. I would have gladly serve the injured student (in kind) if he was alone but at that situation, he had three other able-bodied friends to help him out. Furthermore, SAM treated me as if it was necessary for me to serve him.
I wonder if it is because of our country’s colonial of history that caused today’s incident? Sometimes, I feel that it is Singaporeans, who are to be blamed as well. Take for example; located right next to our stall is another stall selling western food. I’ve witness their employees delivering food to people like SAM while making locals (and Asians) wait in line. Perhaps it is because of Singaporeans own submissive attitudes towards anything western, that led to this kind of bullying. Didn’t we strive for independence from the British to eliminate discrimination?
Self-imposed discrimination can also be witnessed during the recent Free Burma protests. Authorities allow foreign students to take the streets but detain local activists.
We are truely uniquely Singapore!
Saturday, November 24th, 2007