We interrupt your lunchtime with a horrifying story that could put you off your appetite — a woman uncovered a solid black centipede cowering in her nasi padang last week.
The freaky find was made public through The New Paper, as 40-year-old Egyptian national Safina Mohamed Mohamed alerted the paper about her creepy-crawly consternation at the Punggol Nasi Padang outlet in Century Square Mall. Concealed underneath vegetables, white rice and ikan assam pedas was the dead centipede, which she says was “as long as a finger”. We’re pretty sure that she didn’t accidentally order a serving of the myriapod in her meal.
Horrified that she had already taken a few bites of her meal, she took the plate back to the staff to confront them. The staff apologised and tried to refund her with the $5 she paid, simply brushing the matter off, Mohamed claimed.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) was alerted about the incident, but found no hygiene lapses at the stall, assuring that the outlet was maintained in a satisfactory condition. Punggol Nasi Padang only received a minor slap on the wrist with an NEA reminder to practise good food and personal hygiene as well as ensure proper housekeeping and food storage.
A spokesman for the eatery (that has many other branches across Singapore, except Punggol itself) mentioned that they’ve apologised to the family, stating that more stringent checks have been implemented across all outlets. “That said, we are confident that our food is clean,” they maintained.
Safina however remains deeply perturbed by the experience, especially since she went to Changi General Hospital for treatment after she felt nausea and stomach ache. Though she wasn’t hospitalised, her husband claims that doctors who examined her said that her condition was akin to “food poisoning.”
