Man and woman arrested for brawling over HKD2,200 dinner bill at Mong Kok restaurant

Screenshot: Apple Daily
Screenshot: Apple Daily

The arrest of a man and woman who brawled over splitting their dinner bill has ignited a debate amongst the city’s netizens over dating etiquette, but new information shared by the restaurant owner this morning may have complicated things.

At around 11pm on Sunday evening, the man and woman aged 37 and 38, respectively, went to settle their HKD2,200 bill at Gyu-Kaku, a Japanese barbecue restaurant in Mong Kok, after a dinner date. According to Apple Daily, the pair, who had only known each other for two days, reportedly got into an argument over whether they should go dutch (or “AA style”, to use the more common Cantonese slang).

At the time, local news outlets reported that the woman had objected to paying for her half of the meal and got into a dispute with her date which quickly turned physical, leading to both of them getting arrested.

The story sparked a heated debate online, with some netizens arguing that the man was “cheap”, especially as some reports had stated that he was a small business owner. Many people, however, made derogatory comments about the woman, saying she “shouldn’t expect a stranger to pay for her” and “wasn’t worth HKD2,200”.

This morning, the owner of Gyu-Kaku, surnamed Wong, complicated matters when he shared a photo of the couple’s bill on Facebook and wrote in the caption that it was the woman who suggested splitting the bill, rather than the other way around. According to Wong, the couple arrived at 7:54pm and spent over three hours eating and drinking at the restaurant, ordering over HKD700 worth of alcohol and other drinks and over HKD1,400 of food.

“When the bill came, the man started taking out cash to pay for it, but the woman very politely offered to split the bill, since it was so expensive. The man staunchly refused, despite her insistence, and when she tried to put a HKD500 bill in his hand, he ripped it up,” Wong said. “I am not at liberty to discuss what happened before the police were called, but the man did end up paying HKD2,200 and leaving the change as a tip.”

After Wong’s post was shared, many netizens were quick to point out the hypocrisy of those who had taken the man’s side. “So it turns out she wasn’t in the wrong. How many people jumped to conclusions?” one person commented.

“How many people were saying nasty things about this poor woman yesterday?” a woman wrote on Facebook. “Should they not apologize to her? As soon as people saw she was a Hong Kong woman they immediately assumed she had demanded for a free meal. Actually, the words ‘Kong girl’ are a bit discriminatory,” she said, referring to the derogatory term used to describe local women who exhibit “princessy” behaviour.

Other netizens slammed the man for refusing to accept his date’s money, saying he was “trying too hard to be a big man”. “Men should be gentle, and not so bullish,” one commenter said. “Wait, he lost his temper because she tried to pay? He must have thought he would ‘lose face’. That’s hilarious!” another wrote.

UPDATE: The restaurant is now offering an “AA lover’s meal” for HKD496 (or HKD248 per head, as they helpfully/cheekily note). Check and mate.

https://www.facebook.com/HKGyukaku/photos/a.162230847153643.33251.162081287168599/1419331408110241/?type=3



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