THE last thing you'd expect to find in your plate of mee siam is a safety pin.
But that's what Mr Tan Ah Khiang, 63, got in his breakfast last Thursday.
And he swallowed it unknowingly.
He didn't even realise what he had ingested until he went for an X-ray and saw it for himself.
Mr Tan had to undergo surgery that same day and was hospitalised for a week.
When The New Paper visited Mr Tan at his home in Hougang,, he recalled: 'I went for breakfast with my wife that morning. I only had two or three mouthfuls when I felt something uncomfortable in my throat.
'It felt like there was something stuck in my throat but I didn't know what.'
Despite the pain in his throat, Mr Tan could still talk, albeit very uncomfortably.
Mr Tan told his wife, who suggested they consult a doctor immediately, leaving the mee siam half-eaten.
An X-ray was done on Mr Tan's throat at the Hougang polyclinic.
He said in Mandarin: 'I was shocked when I saw the X-ray. How can such a thing happen?
'And it was an open safety pin. Even the doctor was shocked.'
PANICKED
He added: 'I panicked... I feared the longer it remained inside, the further it would move down. I wanted it removed as soon as possible.'
Mr Tan, a retiree, was referred to the Singapore General Hospital, and around 8pm that day, he was operated on to remove the safety pin.
Asked why he had not felt the pin while eating, Mr Tan said: 'I couldn't feel it in my mouth because I don't have teeth so I usually just swallow when I eat.
'Which is why there aren't many foods that I can eat.'
Mr Tan said that that plate of mee siam was his first meal of the day.
His daughter, Miss Landy Tan, 24, said: 'When my dad called to tell me what happened, I panicked. I rushed to the hospital. I was worried because it was an open pin. It could have burst a blood vessel.'
And when she heard about the risks involved with the surgery, Miss Tan said she became more afraid for her father.
She said: 'The doctor had advised him not to move or talk. We were also told the sharp point of the pin was right next to a major blood vessel that connects to the heart.
'That meant that if the vessel was poked, it could cause bleeding and he could die.'
RESTING AT HOME
Fortunately, the surgery was a success and Mr Tan is now resting at home.
The family has yet to find out what his hospital bill will amount to. He was warded in SGH for a week following the operation.
Mr Tan and his wife frequent the food centre in Hougang several times a week and he had eaten from the mee siam stall on previous occasions.
Although Mr Tan is upset about the incident, he said: 'But what to do?'
He was not keen on pursuing the matter, but Miss Tan and her elder brother were less forgiving.
While Mr Tan was in hospital, they went to the stall to tell the operators about the incident.
Miss Tan said: 'We just went there to tell them about it... They don't even feel guilty.
'My dad said we have to be considerate towards them because they have to do business. But who is going to be considerate towards my father?'
She reported the matter to the National Environment Agency (NEA) last Friday.
When contacted, a NEA spokesman confirmed it was investigating Miss Tan's complaint.
The spokesman said: 'Upon receiving the feedback, NEA conducted an inspection at the stall on the same morning but were unable to sight any safety pins within the stall.
'The food-handlers were seen observing proper food and personal hygiene.
'Nevertheless, NEA proceeded to remind the stallholder on the importance of good food and personal hygiene practices.'
NEA officers will also interview Mr Tan to get more information.
When we visited the stall, the operator flatly denied that the safety pin was from his mee siam.
The man, who did not want to give his name, said: 'Can they prove it's from my stall?
'He buys from here, then goes somewhere else to sit. I don't know what else he ate from the other side, or what he drank. Maybe it came from the drink? How can they say it's from my stall?'
Mr Tan, however, maintains that he had not eaten from any other stall that morning as it was his first meal of the day.
The operator said: 'If it's from here, why didn't he tell me? I would have taken him to the doctor, there are so many doctors around here.'
He added repeatedly: 'The man and his wife, they can be considered my regular customers, I treat them like my friends.
'When his son came and made noise at my stall, I never said anything because I was thinking of the father.'
The operator said he's been running his business for nine years and has never had any problems.
Miss Tan said her parents are regular customers and have no reason to make false accusations.
'My dad didn't tell them he felt pain in his throat because he didn't know what it was at the time,' she said.
The operator claimed NEA officers had issued him a warning letter.
Would he be willing to foot Mr Tan's medical fees?
The man said: 'Only if they can prove it's from my stall. How can they prove it's from here?
'I'm sorry about the incident, but it's not from my stall.'
