Geylang Cai Png Stall Seen with Pigeons Feasting on Its Food Explained Why It Happened

Over the last couple of days citizens all across the nation have been developing a fear of eating Cai Png. 

The new phobia is thought to affect at least 2 million Singaporeans.

It’s not because we discovered that our beloved Kung Pao chicken was actually made of rat meat, and that the popular steamed egg was 50% styrofoam.

Rather’s it’s because of a certain video that made the rounds on social media on Tuesday (20 Oct).

Pigeons Feasting On Cai Png Dishes

For those of you who have not watched the video, I’d advise you to leave this article as quickly as possible, unless you want us to ruin your favourite meal.

On Tuesday, Facebook group Complaint Singapore uploaded this video of an incident that occurred at Yong Li Eating House, a coffee shop located near Lorong 15 Geylang.

The video has since been taken down, but its images will remain in the minds of netizens for decades.

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In the video, two pigeons can be seen feasting on dishes at an unattended Cai Png stall.

No one knows where the stall owners were, but the pigeons certainly didn’t miss them.

One of the pigeons greedily pecks away at some fried pork, while his little friend eats bits of kway teow, though he’s not as carefree as the ravenous pork-eater beside him.

While they were initially indifferent to the cameraperson’s presence, they quickly flew away the moment he got close to them.

Viewers were understandably disgusted, but also worried about customers who may have consumed the contaminated food afterwards.

This was a reasonable concern, as some pigeons carry Campylobacter – an infectious illness – which can be spread through pecking.

Salmonella – a bacterial infection that can cause diarrhoea – may also be present in some bird droppings.

Fortunately, the pigeons were the last ones to enjoy those tasty dishes.

Stall Employee Responds

An employee at the stall confirmed that the incident had taken place on Monday (Oct 19) at around 4pm.

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, the employee said he was the only one working at the time, and didn’t see the two birds as he was at the back of the stall washing dishes at the sink.

“When I went back after finishing the washing, a customer told me that pigeons had flown in to eat our food.”

He immediately disposed of all the food and cooked a fresh batch of dishes.

It turns out that the coffee shop is a popular hangout for pigeons as they visit the eatery often.

This is why the stall had previously covered their food with plastic covers.

This is the first time, however, that the birds have ever entered the stall to steal food, the employee said.

“The coffee shop employees all take hygiene very seriously. We have given feedback to the authorities about the pigeon problem and hope they are able to solve the matter quickly.”

Let’s just be glad that no one ate the affected dishes.

SFA Taking Action Against Stall

A simple statement may not be enough to appease the authorities, however.

According to Stomp, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will be taking enforcement action against the stall for hygiene lapses.

The agency said: “Under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations, every person selling cooked food must protect the food from likely contamination and not prepare any food which is unfit for consumption.”

“SFA promptly inspected the food stall upon receiving feedback. We will be taking enforcement action for the hygiene lapses detected”.

The agency has also warned the operator about leaving food exposed, and reminded staff to cover the food when they momentarily step away from the stall.

“While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices”.

It encouraged members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator to report them to SFA via the online feedback form.

As for the pigeons, please leave our Cai Png alone. It’s unhealthy enough as it is.

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