A man surnamed Lai was hospitalized yesterday (November 4) after discovering a piece of glass in his takeout meal in Hsinchu County. Lai had ordered a preserved vegetable omelet for lunch and was midway through eating when he suddenly cut his tongue. Upon inspection, he found a roughly 2 cm piece of glass in the food.
Lai was immediately taken to the hospital, where a gastroscopy was performed to remove a 0.5–0.6 cm glass fragment from his stomach. He remains under observation at the hospital. Lai said the restaurant only sent him a drink as a gesture of apology and suggested the ingredients came from the market, which he suspects was an attempt to avoid full responsibility.
The restaurant, however, stated that they advised Lai to seek medical attention immediately and visited him at the hospital. They stressed that the food preparation process followed normal procedures, that the restaurant is insured, and that the source of the glass remains unclear. “We take the incident very seriously and will not shirk our responsibilities,” a spokesperson said.
According to Lai, after discovering the glass, he called the restaurant, which suggested he go to the hospital and mentioned that medical costs could be discussed later. He went to the emergency room, where a CT scan confirmed the presence of a glass fragment. During the gastroscopy, the glass was intermittently visible, forcing doctors to carefully extract all stomach contents.
Lai said he frequently orders lunch from this restaurant and was shocked to find glass in his meal. He described the experience as “heart-stopping.”
The restaurant emphasized that all meals are delivered directly by staff rather than through delivery services. They have reviewed kitchen surveillance footage and food preparation protocols and found no irregularities. While the exact source of the glass remains under investigation, the restaurant reiterated its commitment to taking full responsibility for the incident.
