A woman in Singapore was left shocked after discovering what appeared to be a dead black centipede in her takeaway bowl of mee hoon kueh soup.
Even more surprisingly, when she returned to the stall to question the staff, she claimed the employee insisted that the insect was actually an anchovy.
According to a report by China Press, 47 year old office worker Huang Jingjing bought a takeaway portion of mee hoon kueh at a stall located inside the Malaysia Boleh! food court at White Sands on July 7 at around noon.
She brought the food back to her office and began eating.
However, after just four mouthfuls, Huang noticed something unusual floating in the soup.
She reportedly discovered a dead black centipede inside the bowl.
Huang immediately took photographs and videos as evidence before bringing the food back to the stall to confront the staff.
What happened next reportedly left her even more frustrated.
According to Huang, when she showed the staff the dead centipede, the employee insisted that it was an anchovy.
Huang said she was furious and challenged the staff to eat the supposed “anchovy” themselves if that was really what it was.
The staff subsequently offered to prepare another bowl or provide her with a refund.
Huang agreed that she wanted the refund but said she also wanted the person in charge to come forward and provide an explanation.
However, she was reportedly told that no manager was present at the stall and that the staff could only offer a replacement or refund.
When Huang said she intended to lodge a complaint with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), she claimed the staff simply responded: “Then go ahead and complain.”
Huang subsequently lodged a complaint with the SFA. She said the agency had contacted her by email and requested further information.
She later passed by the stall again and noticed that it was still operating as usual, with customers continuing to queue for food. This prompted her to make the incident public.
Interestingly, this was not the first reported incident involving a centipede and a business operated by the same food group.
According to the report, another outlet operated by the group was involved in a similar incident in January, when a customer reportedly discovered a black centipede in a bowl of noodles.
The operator said it subsequently carried out thorough cleaning and disinfection of the food preparation area, discarded the soup and prepared a fresh batch, while also reviewing its hygiene and food-handling procedures.
In response to the latest incident, the operator said it could not determine how the centipede had entered the food.
Nevertheless, it said several precautionary measures had been taken, including replacing the affected batch of ingredients, conducting an internal review of food preparation and handling procedures, notifying the supplier and requesting an investigation.
The stall was also reportedly subjected to pest control treatment and deep cleaning, while employees were reminded to remain vigilant when inspecting ingredients and preparing food.
The SFA said it was investigating the matter and could contact the complainant for further details. If sufficient evidence is obtained, enforcement action may be taken.
The incident has since sparked discussion online, with many people questioning how a dead centipede could end up in a bowl of soup and, perhaps most of all, how anyone could mistake it for an anchovy.
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