What Some People Do at "Chap Fan" Stalls.....

Coming on the heels of a piece I wrote on sushi etiquette, I'm going to do another one, this time (one closer to home) on "chap fan" or mixed rice etiquette...if there's even such a thing! :D

Chap fan is probably one of the most frequently eaten food in our country.  It consists of rice on which we pile our choice of (usually) two to three types of dishes on the rice from a wide selection of various dishes such as meat, seafood, tofu, eggs and vegetables available.  

We'd eat it at least a couple of times a week, some even have it on a daily basis.  It's what some would consider as fast food Malaysian-style...it's cheap, it's fast and it serves the purpose of filling one up.

Over the years, I've eaten my fair share of chap fan and also noticed some undesirable action that some people do at chap fan stalls that prompted me to share some of what I've seen....just for a bit of not-too-serious fun! ;)

#1 - Do not hog the chap fan line

Some people take an eternity to decide what dishes they want.  They'll stand in front of the dishes, looking left and right, but not taking anything and not realising that there's a bunch of people waiting behind.  So, do not hog the chap fan line, make up your mind fast or let those behind you go at it first if you're undecided.

#2 - Do not take forever to choose the parts you want of a particular dish

Closely related to the first one, some people like to pick and choose particular cuts of meat.  For example, the other day I was standing behind this woman who decided on having nam yue fried pork belly...but wanted the lean parts only and picked them out one by one.  And there was your truly, standing beside her, waiting on her, for what seemed like an eternity.
Yes, I can understand that some of us want specific parts of chicken or pork (I do too) but do not dig and dig and dig (like you're digging for gold)...do it quickly if you must!  Just take a few scoops and if you find the parts you want, fine (you win some, you lose some).  I'm sure our parents would have taught us that it's impolite dining etiquette to turn a dish inside out just to find the specific parts we want. 

#3 - Try not to use another ladle that doesn't belong to the dish

Each dish in a chap fan stall usually comes with a ladle or large spoon for us to pick up the food.  Due to the crowd and impatience of some customers, some tend to use another ladle to pick up the same food that another customer is picking up because they don't want to wait.  I'm not saying you can't use another ladle (if you're pressed for time) but use your common sense to use the 'right' ladle.  I've seen people using the ladle used to scoop up curry to scoop vegetables or one that's used for a dish full of sauce to scoop up something dry...thereby 'staining' some of the other dishes.

#4 - Do not put back what you've already taken


I've actually seen this happened before where a customer will scoop what she has already taken from her chap fan box back into the tray after realising she has taken too much of that dish.  Yes, even though you've not eaten your box or plate of chap fan yet, we don't want your "has-beens" with (sometimes) grains of rice sticking to them! O_o

#5 - Try not to cross over someone else's hands when taking your food


There were also times when an impatient customer will reach for a dish over your hands (whilst you're still scooping that dish).  It's just unbecoming behaviour in my eyes.  Be patient and wait your turn.

#6 - Do not return to the chap fan stall to scoop more sauce


I've also seen customers, who had already dug into their plate of chap fan, returning to the stall to scoop more sauce.  Eww...we're not looking forward to the spoon touching your already eaten (aka 'contaminated') food (even if you're careful to not let it touch your food)! >.<
Even though some might ask the stall helpers to spoon more sauce for them, it's still not pleasant for other customers to see, so scoop enough sauce the first time, people!

#7 - Try not to scoop sauce from a particular dish until there's none left


I know there are some of us who can't eat rice without sauce (me included) but I've seen people scooping sauce (from a dish that he or she's not even having) until it's dry (like the Sahara desert).  I do that too sometimes (and by that I mean I do take sauce from a dish I'm not having) but I make sure I choose one where there's still a lot of sauce to go round.  Have a heart and think about those who'd want to appreciate the dish...with the sauce intact! ^_^ 

#8 - Do not push, nudge or elbow your way to the front


Probably the most annoying behaviour is of those who try to nudge and push their way to the front because of their impatience.  As much as I'd like to see people queue (in a single line) in these chap fan stalls (like I've seen in some stalls and ramadan bazaars), I know it's also physically impossible to do so because of the way some chap fan stalls are set up.  Whatever it is, wait your turn, people, and do not try to 'elbow' your way to the front! >_<

As much as I dislike what some people do at chap fan stalls, it's still one of the most common (and cheapest) meal options we have.
So, how many of you have experienced or seen one (or more) of these scenarios when having chap fan?  Or which ones are you most peeved about? ^_*