Singapore hawker oddities
Singapore's MacPherson Market drew attention for a row of plastic water bottles left outside multiple stalls — a quirky local practice that had netizens puzzled. (stomp.sg) Separately, a bakery at 100 AM mall made headlines after staff 'shoed away' a fly from a cookie, raising food‑hygiene chatter around hawker and mall outlets. (stomp.sg)
The sighting took place at Block 89 Circuit Road on March 24, and the photos submitted to STOMP show at least 15 clear bottles of liquid lined up outside closed storefronts, one of which is marked as Gain Wish Essential Oil. (stomp.sg) The bottled‑water practice mirrors a long‑running folk remedy seen in places such as Italy and Japan where residents place water‑filled bottles outside properties to deter cats or dogs, but fact‑checks say there is no robust scientific evidence that the bottles reliably repel animals. (snopes.com; thesouthfirst.com) The bakery incident involved Pullman Bakery at 100AM mall, where a Stomper said a fly landed on a biscuit on March 23 and that she reported the matter to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on March 27 after recording video evidence and declining to purchase anything. (stomp.sg) STOMP’s reporting also notes multiple Google Reviews flagging pest and hygiene concerns at the Pullman outlet and lists Pullman Bakery among 100AM’s tenants at the Tanjong Pagar mall. (stomp.sg; 100am.com.sg) SFA told STOMP on March 30 that food safety is a joint responsibility and directed members of the public to its online feedback form and hotlines, which the agency operates from its Jurong Gateway headquarters. (stomp.sg; sfa.gov.sg) The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment has previously told Parliament that SFA may take enforcement action under Section 88A of the Environmental Public Health Act against those who knowingly provide false or misleading food‑hygiene complaints, with fines up to S$5,000 for first offenders. (mse.gov.sg)
