Ang Mo Kio hawker refuses to sell single duck leg to customer, says whole roast will dry out once cut

A customer was left disappointed after a popular roast meat stall in Ang Mo Kio refused to sell her a single duck leg, saying it wanted to finish selling the remaining half duck first.

The incident occurred at Ho Bee Roasted Food at Ang Mo Kio 628 Market, reported Shin Min Daily News.

In a social media post on Nov 8, the disappointed customer said they had reached the front of the long queue at about 2.30pm that day.

However, the hawker told her they wanted to finish selling the remaining half duck before carving a drumstick from a fresh whole duck, according to the post.

"What made this even more unreasonable was that there were still approximately 15 to 20 whole ducks hanging at the stall, clearly indicating that they still had sufficient stock," the customer wrote.

"I understand that the stall owner may wish to clear the pre-cut portions first, but this should not come at the expense of customers who have patiently waited in line."

'A duck only has two legs'

On the other hand, stall owner Lin Jianzhong (transliteration) clarified to Shin Min he had refused to sell the single drumstick as the whole duck would begin drying out 30 minutes after being cut.

When the customer arrived after lunchtime, there were seven or eight large pieces of cut duck meat that had not yet been sold.

"To keep the whole duck tender and juicy, I refused her," Lin, 60, said.

"I understand many customers prefer duck legs, but a duck only has two legs. If there are just three or four pieces of duck meat left to sell, I will definitely cut a new one."

He pointed out that his stall had once placed a notice about a shortage of duck legs about six years ago.

"We put up notices last time because we didn't want customers to wait for a long time, only to find out there were no duck legs left when it was their turn," he said, adding that they later stopped doing so.

Now, most of his regulars and nearby residents understand his reasoning.

"Only a small number of customers misunderstand and think that I refuse to sell duck legs," Lin said.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com