<!-- headline one : end --> Find another seat; tissue
can't be an issue <!-- Author --> By Kimberly Spykerman
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But a group of undergraduates is on the warpath to wipe out this
informal reservation system.
Last Saturday, seven students doled out 1,000 packets of tissue
paper in the Chinatown Complex food centre. They were scrawled with
the words: 'This seat is not taken, it's yours!'
The students are hoping to encourage patrons to tell others that
the seat is occupied, rather than have diners face the tissues.
'We chose to target this aspect of social behaviour because our
surveys showed it's a bugbear for a lot of people. Many gripe about
the issue but no one takes an active stand,' said team member,
21-year- old V.Kumar.
The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM), which aims to encourage
Singaporeans to be more gracious through simple acts of kindness,
has thrown its weight behind the group, named the Tissue
Parody.
What started out as a classroom project has now become a full-
fledged cause.
The group plans to push the initiative into eateries in the
Central Business District, where the tissue reservations, known as
'chope-ing', are rife.
But it was not all smooth-sailing for the freshmen at the
Singapore Management University.
The group approached at least three food centres before getting
the go-ahead from the one at Chinatown Complex, which is run by the
Jalan Besar Town Council.
Mr Kumar said his group was not against reserving seats at food
centres. Rather, they wanted to encourage people to find a more
gracious method.
The SKM paid for 10,000 tissue packets and loaned out its
mascot, Singa the courtesy lion, last week.
'We want to help them because it's obvious that they're
passionate and committed to long-term change,' a spokesman said.
'What they're trying to do is not something that can be achieved
overnight.'
Last Saturday, the students put tissue packs on empty tables at
the Chinatown food centre, located in Smith Street.
Diners, for the most part, welcomed the effort.
Mr Chan Cher Hua, a 30-year- old sales engineer, was glad to see
the group being proactive about such a cause. He said: 'It just
seems nicer to leave a person at the table rather than a tissue
packet. It's about having the right social etiquette.'
The mass distribution of tissue packets piqued the curiosity of
the lunch-time crowd.
Mr Wong Ah Chye, 62, chairman of the food centre, also lauded
the students. 'It's for the good of the public. People get
frustrated when they come to a food centre and the seats are all
reserved by tissue packets. Hopefully, this will encourage people
to be more thoughtful about others.'
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What do you guys think of this article? Personally I don't have
a problem with the use of tissue paper, or umbrellas, since
practically anything else you leave on the tables will get stolen
for sure. And I refuse to queue up for food unless I know I have
seat.
