'Alive and wriggling': Diner grossed out by caterpillar in chicken rice at Jurong Point food court

Getting a little bit more in your chicken rice is certainly nice - but not when the extra comes in the form of a live, wriggling insect.

That's what this diner experienced after finding a caterpillar in her chicken rice from Kopitiam's Cantine food court at Jurong Point, she shared in a post to Complaint Singapore on Monday (May 6).

User Ira Maya recalled in her post: "I was feeding my toddler chicken rice, flipped the cucumber and found a caterpillar, alive and wriggling!"

In the seven-second video, a black caterpillar can be seen on its back, wriggling about beside slices of chicken and cucumber.

She was so incensed by the discovery that she was "shaken" and "literally trembling", she wrote, adding that it was "just a gross sight".

Confronting the vendor, Ira said she managed to get a refund and an apology from them - however, they simply continued about their day.

"Then my three-year-old asked, 'Mummy, what happened to my chicken rice?'

"To which I plainly replied, 'There was a caterpillar in it so we have to eat other food, okay?"

Complaint lodged to SFA

But aside from dealing with her child's disappointment, Ira also raised concerns regarding other diners patronising the stall.

According to her, many elderly dine there, and they may not be as keen as to notice if there was a caterpillar in their meal.

"They could've just scooped it up without noticing, only to realise [when they feel it] wriggling in their mouths," she added.

Ira also said that she lodged a complaint to the Singapore Food Authority (SFA) which purportedly checked the premises a day after.

According to the screenshot of SFA's response, no other related "foreign matter lapses" were observed at the stall, and the stall's staff members were reminded to wash their vegetable food items.

'Extra protein' in her meal?

In comments under the post, netizens expressed shock at Ira's experience.

"Oh my gosh, I eat chicken rice from Jurong Point every week and always [order] GrabFood for my son," a user said.

Some were also curious about how this could have happened, with one user asking: "How did this big caterpillar end up in your chicken rice?"

A user also shared their own experience, saying that she found 'extra protein' in her chicken rice before - now, she no longer dares to eat chicken rice again because she doesn't feel that it's clean.

AsiaOne has reached out to Ira, SFA and Kopitiam for comment.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com