No one quite knows when this quaint practice began. Finding a seat in a packed hawker centre during lunch hour can be daunting — more so when you’re with friends. One day, someone placed a packet of tissues on a seat to “reserve” it before queuing for food — and strangely enough, it worked.

Over time, this unspoken rule became part of Singapore’s lunchtime culture, especially among office workers. Ingenious or selfish? You decide. We just find it one of the more peculiar things about living here.

Created in 2004, “Reserved: A Public (T)issue” was one of Larry’s first objects and the last project he designed under Neighbor Studio before founding &Larry. Conceived as both a social experiment and commentary on this uniquely Singaporean habit — particularly within the white-collar financial district — 30,000 tissue packs were produced and distributed free over three days.

The response was overwhelming. Office workers began calling and emailing, asking to buy more. This was long before social media or virality were even a thing — proof that a simple idea could spark a public conversation.