‘Fruit in S’pore is so expensive’: Woman picks up Hungry Ghost Festival offerings, says ‘this isn’t stealing’
A woman has sparked a heated debate after filming herself picking up fruit offerings left by the roadside during the Hungry Ghost Festival, while declaring: “This isn’t stealing.”
The festival is observed during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when devotees prepare offerings and burn incense, joss paper, and other items by the roadside to pay respects to the dead.
According to a report by Shin Min Daily News on Aug 21, a woman who claims to be from Sichuan, China, and works as a bus driver in Singapore, posted a TikTok video of herself picking up fruit offerings by the roadside.
The video appears to have been taken down.
The woman says to the camera: “Working overseas isn’t easy. We have to live frugally, and fruit in Singapore is so expensive!”
She then picks up an orange and says: “Today, I picked up fruit that was offered to the Buddha to eat. This isn’t stealing, okay? Thank you, Buddha. I told Buddha about it.”
The video does not show the woman actually eating the fruit. It is unclear if she removed it from the roadside.
Stomp has reached out to the woman for comment.
Netizens divided over woman’s actions
In the comments section, some members of the public felt her actions were offensive, while others raised concerns about food safety.
However, others felt there was nothing wrong with her actions, pointing out that the offerings might have been left unclaimed and it would be better for someone to eat them than let them go to waste.
A folklore expert told Shin Min that roadside offerings during the Hungry Ghost Festival are traditionally believed to be meant for wandering spirits.
She said even picking up the offerings for a video without eating them could be considered disrespectful.
She also felt it was inappropriate to deliberately challenge tradition for social media views.
The expert urged greater respect even among non-believers, suggesting that the woman return to the site to “make amends”.
In September 2025, a 22-year-old TikToker similarly drew flak for pretending to eat Hungry Ghost Festival offerings, later clarifying he did not intend to offend others with his actions.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has also advised members of the public to keep shared spaces clean while paying their respects, in an advisory posted on Facebook on Aug 12.
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