STEAMBOAT restaurants are hugely popular, especially so during the fasting month. It offers a substantial variety as well as hefty portions to satisfy large families gathering to berbuka puasa.
However, a recent incident shared on X (formerly Twitter) by user @fikaaabonooo has sent a shiver down the spines of many steamboat lovers.
The post which has generated over 1.1 million views at the time of writing claims that a family of six was seriously hurt at a steamboat restaurant in Termeloh when the gas tank at their table exploded.
The post goes to claim that this was the second incident in the past year at said eatery. But what was more galling was the apparent less-than-caring attitude of the shop owner towards the incident as per divulged by the victims.
Gila ke kedai steamboat dekat temerloh tu? Dah la customer kene hadap gas meletop, lepastu dia buat taktahu tak follow up langsung.
Gila, satu family tau melecur habis.
— fb (@fikaaabonooo) March 19, 2024
It was claimed that there was no enquiry from the business owner as to the victim’s well-being post-incident and they needed to follow up with the shop. The victim also shared photos detailing the extent of the injuries.
The poster also shared eye-witness account and was upset that the shopkeeper tried to settle the matter with a risible compensation of RM1,000.
To be fair, a few netizens did share the shopkeeper’s statement on the issue and hoped that the matter would be settled to all parties’ satisfaction.
Nevertheless, the incident seems to have unlocked a new fear among Malaysian diners – the danger posed by gas tanks at steamboat joints.
Some netizens revealed the set-up at many steamboat restaurants left much to be desired and were a disaster waiting to happen.
A few others cautioned about patronising such establishments as this was not an isolated incident with reports of similar mishaps in other steamboat restaurants.
With more than one pointing out the inherent danger of using portable gas tanks to heat up their broth, it made sense to avoid visiting such outlets.
But what seem to really raise the ire of many was the non-caring attitude of the business owner, who seemed to only be concerned about profits instead of the well-being of customers.
Many urged the victims to take legal action as well as report the offending restaurant to the authorities.
The authorities need to double up on their checks of such outlets to ensure the equipment used at these steamboat restaurants are safe. In fact, given the recent incidents, perhaps it is time to ban these portable gas tanks. Why not just go electric? Better safe than sorry.
In the meantime, FocusM wishes all the victims a speedy recovery. One netizen seems to sum up the feelings of many. – March 21, 2024
