Tourists allow boy to urinate in busy eatery

A LOT OF BOTTLE: A Chinese mother allowed her child to urinate in a bottle. When their food was splashed they asked it be exchanged for free

By Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter





A family of Chinese tourists, who it is said came to Taiwan as part of a tour with a substantially higher price tag than is typical for tour groups from China, stunned staff and customers in the world-renowned Din Tai Fung dumpling restaurant by allowing a three-year-old boy to urinate in a bottle while the parents were eating at a table, the Chinese-language Apple Daily reported.

The toddler was part of a family of five tourists dining in the Michelin-starred Din Tai Fung restaurant in Taipei 101 on Oct. 2, and urinated in a plastic bottle instead of going to a restroom that was 100m from where the family were eating.

The urine splashed on food the family had bought, so they tried to get it replaced for free, but were rejected, the report said.

The group eventually paid for a new round of dishes, but reportedly complained about the extra money they had to spend “while already paying that much for the tour.”

It was said that the scene had dumbfounded customers at neighboring tables and the smell had lingered long enough to take away their appetite.

A waiter was quoted by the Apple Daily as reminding the mother that a toilet was available outside the restaurant and they would need to go there to answer the call of nature to avoid the disturbance it might cause to other customers.

“I got it, I got it,” was reportedly the response from the Chinese mother.

The tour guide reportedly kept apologizing to the restaurant staff and admonished the mother.

The incident was confirmed by the restaurant’s public relations manager, who said the area was cleaned and disinfected after the group had left the restaurant.

The restaurant, the manager said, had also had an internal discussion over the case and resolved that in the future “[any similar behavior] would be stopped as soon as possible,” the report said.