Originally posted by BillyBong:
I'm one of the cynical few who believe Singaporeans need to
be put firmly in their place at times.
[b]Must Singaporeans
'behave like pigs'?
RECENTLY, my friend from Australia commented that Singaporeans
behaved like pigs. I disagreed, saying that at most it's a small
minority who behaved that way.
He challenged me to a test. I accepted his challenge, determined to
prove him wrong. I was bitterly disappointed.
Here is an account of what happened.
My friend, my wife, our one-year-old son in a pram and I (wearing a
neck brace and with my arm in a sling from injuries sustained in a
car accident) went for an MRT ride. My wife and son couldn't get
into the station for some time because other commuters kept using
the gate meant for the disabled, ignoring her and the pram.
When the train arrived, people rushed in while alighting passengers
rushed out. No one gave way to my wife and the pram. She had to
compete with the horde to get onto the train. To make things worse,
those standing at the doorway refused to move in, making it even
more difficult for her.
Once on board, no one bothered to give up his seat to my wife, who
was carrying our son. Those seated were young, able-bodied and
educated (executive-type) adults. Finally, it was two Thai workers
who gave up their seats to us.
Later, an old woman boarded the train. Again, no one gave up his
seat until a man in a neck brace and an arm sling did so.
When we reached our destination, we tried to take the lift from the
platform to the ticket concourse. The lift was packed with
able-bodied people. My friend asked that my wife and the pram be
allowed in but one man turned around and remarked rudely, 'Why
can't you take the next lift?'. I was shocked beyond words.
We went to a packed food court for lunch. No tables were available.
We waited and finally noticed a couple leaving. We inched our way
towards their table but, with just 5m to go, a group of office
girls ran ahead of us and took the table.
When we finally got a table, it was unbelievably messy. There were
chicken bones, spilt sauces and prawn shells all over the
table.
I turned red in the face when my friend, who was helping to clear
the table, asked, 'So, do you still think that it's only a minority
of Singaporeans that behave this way? If so, take a look around
you. Look real hard at the tables when they leave... You guys eat
like pigs.'
Martin Goh Lye Thiam
Actual Article: ST Forum
There's your 4 million smiles for you... 
[/b]
This Martin Goh Lye Thiam is one stupid pathetic Singaporean who
does not know about singapore and its culture and his guest is
certainly arrogant and his remark uncalled for.
First of all, woman with baby in the pram should not expect seat to
be given to her, especially Mrs God, young, able-body, probably not
so educated, unless she carried the baby out of the pram.
If the lift is full when the door opens, you wait for the next!
Imagine you take a lift from B1 to level 4, do you get out at level
1 just to give way to a lady or anybody? no, you queue by standing
next to the door!! thats what this stupid martin needs to tell his
guest. Don't expect anything from your host if you don't even
practice it in your own country.
There is one significant diff between Asia and Oz in the way food
is served, here fish, chicken, lambs comes with bones, prawn come
with shell, in Oz, bones, shells are all taken out, nothing much is
left to be thrown away. In Asia, food is served in small plates and
bowls, as a result, leaving bones on the table is an acceptable
table manner, but this is not the case in Oz, there they use bigger
plate. So don't expect the tables to be clean, especially those in
the food courts, crowded with office workers during lunch hour.
Even if you want it to be clean, wait for the cleaner to come clean
them.
If you don want to see a messy table, go to a restaurant, where you
will be asked to wait at the door, until the table is clean before
you are seated. why go an rush with the poor office workers, during
their lunch hour, in the busy food court??
In food court, there is no reservation of seat, 5 m is a long way
to a table, again, Martin must have thought that he, with his wife
and an angmoh friend, should have priority to the seat?
Yes, singaporeans are under pressure of time, we have poor quality
living, and we need to slow down, give way, take time...and but it
is typical arrogance of some westerners to say that we eat like
pigs. I don't want to compare what I saw in australia with what i
see here, or I will say that they eat like....
There is no need to feel sorry for what he encountered here.
To Martin Goh Lye Thiam, you are the pathetic singaporean, do you
eat like pig?? the one in the pram a piglet?? 
