Singapore’s ‘chope-ing’ culture in spotlight after TikToker makes ‘only in Japan’ claim
- Japanese man who took a video of a food court showing personal items, such as shopping bags, being used to reserve seats was only done in his country, he said
- Singaporeans refuted that, saying that the act of ‘chope-ing’ is very much ingrained in their culture as well – South Korea, Norway and the UAE also chimed in
In Japan, you can leave your phone or another personal item on the table to save a seat in the food court, according to a Japanese TikToker.
In Matcha Samurai’s video, he roams around a food court pointing to personal belongings – shopping bags, a water bottle, an umbrella – used to reserve a seat. It’s not clear which city he is in.
“Only in Japan,” the 24-year-old TikToker says, shaking his head in amazement.
Singaporeans in the comments section were quick to refute the TikToker’s claim, clarifying that the act of “chope-ing” is very much ingrained in Singapore’s hawker and food court culture as well.
“In Singapore, we use tissue packs,” noted one TikTok user.
Another identified its Singlish terminology: “It’s called ‘chope-ing’ in Singapore.”