Gorengan, or fritters, is one of the most popular street snacks in Indonesia, and sellers have a habit of using scrapped pieces of paper from reused documents, which they obtained from God-knows-where, and newspapers to pack those unhealthy, tasty deep-fried goodness.
Such is the massive spread of COVID-19 in the country that it was only a matter of time before deep fried banana/plantain/tofu/tempeh/cassava came wrapped in somebody’s positive COVID-19 test result.
This shocking incident transpired in Depok, West Java, as seen in a viral photo posted on Instagram:
View this post on Instagram
“We just bought gorengan, and they were packed in a used document of a PCR swab test result that declared someone testing positive [for the coronavirus]. We ate the gorengan with apprehension and enjoyment,” the caption reads.
The whole thing naturally opened up the floodgates for many jokes among netizens, but the incident has illustrated how personal information is so easily misused here in Indonesia.
“I’m more worried about the data disclosed in that document rather than fear getting [infected with COVID-19],” one user wrote.
“It’s better to set fire to or shred our test results before throwing it away. Don’t toss it straightaway,” warned another.
This, sadly, isn’t the first time that someone’s private information has been used as wrapping paper in the country. Quite recently, someone pointed out how their gorengan bag was actually a photocopy of someone else’s KTP (identity card). In addition, gorengan is such a beloved snack that someone using an airsickness bag to wrap their cireng (a chewy cassava flour snack) also went viral not too long ago.
Hopefully, this will serve as a reminder that we really ought to destroy our documents (even copies) before throwing them away, to avoid them being misused by others — or you know, they may find a second life as a gorengan bag.
And if you ever find your gorengan wrapped in a COVID-19 test result, perhaps don’t eat the fritters. We wish whoever tested positive in that document a speedy recovery.
Also Read:
Indonesian TikTok celebrity apologizes for throwing birthday bash amid PPKM
Minister defends ‘funny-sounding’ 20-minute dine-in time limit
Vaccine certificate being considered as a requirement to enter malls
