SINGAPORE: A local employee turned to Reddit to ask for opinions after being told not to use a pantry that some of her Malay colleagues regarded as off-limits to “non-halal people.”
In a post on the r/SingaporeRaw subreddit on Monday (Jan 12), the employee shared that she was still relatively new to a particular office floor, and because of that, she assumed all shared facilities were open to everyone.
However, on one occasion, when she went to the pantry to eat her lunch, she noticed that several Malay colleagues were giving her hostile looks and making it obvious that they were displeased with her presence.
Initially, she brushed it off and did not think much of the situation. However, matters escalated when a deputy director later approached her and told her not to use “their pantry.”
Perplexed by the remark, the employee asked the deputy director what she meant by “their” pantry.
Instead of giving a clear explanation, the Deputy Director reportedly avoided the question and simply repeated that the area was not meant for her use, advising her to “be more sensitive.”
The employee pushed back, explaining that she had not seen any written notices, signage, or official communication indicating that the pantry was restricted or designated for specific groups.
To her knowledge, there was also no formal approval or company policy outlining such arrangements.
It was only later that she discovered that certain Malay colleagues had informally laid claim to specific spaces and facilities within the office.
She wrote, “They (the Malays) in my office have annexed that pantry and two toilets to be ‘halal pantry/toilets.’ Even during group events, regardless of whether the food is halal or not, they will only eat food bought by their own group.”
“They won’t even eat halal food bought by Chinese. They sent 1 of their kind to go to the same place and buy the same food, then go claim.”
“The pantry also has 2 microwaves, 1 labelled halal, the other non-halal. The non-halal wasn’t plugged in. Someone went to plug it in and use it. Now it’s plugged out, and there’s an ‘out of order’ sticker on it.”
Uncertain whether she had crossed any actual boundary, the employee turned to other Redditors for their views.
She asked, “Am I in the wrong? My Malay colleagues kick up a fuss when non-halal people use ‘their’ pantry.”
“I personally don’t see a problem going against their own self-established rules, as I am not breaking company rules.”
“There is no such thing as a halal pantry.”
In the comments, many expressed their surprise and confusion over her experience.
One user wrote, “That’s crazy. As a Malay Muslim myself, my company has a microwave for halal food, and my non-Muslim colleague asked if they could use it as they dabao halal makcik nasi padang across the road.
“Obviously, there’s no issue; it’s a ‘microwave for halal food.’ If your food is halal, go ahead, and by the way, what is a halal toilet LOL?
Another commented, “Your Malay colleagues are taking it too far. I can understand if they need a microwave specifically for halal food or even utensils reserved for halal food, but to take over a whole office pantry? And the toilet as well?”
A third sarcastically said, “What is next? Halal air?”
Some readers, however, questioned the authenticity of the post. One wrote, “Sounds like a fake story to sow discord within our country. Just saying.”
Another chimed in, saying, “Malay guy here. Never heard of a halal toilet in my 30-year-old life before; this post seems fake. Secondly, there is no such thing as a halal pantry. At most, it is just a halal microwave oven, which nobody cares about, actually.”
In other news, a 21-year-old Singaporean took to social media to share that her father expects her to financially support him the moment she graduates from university.
Posting on the r/SGExams subreddit on Sunday (Jan 11), the student explained that her father, who has no savings and works irregularly, wants her to give him a monthly allowance of at least S$1,000, on top of covering household utilities and groceries.
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