Food delivery sparks debate on decency - Taipei Times

Videos of a heated exchange between a New Taipei City delivery driver and a teenage boy who answered the door in his underwear went viral earlier this week, sparking debate online over appropriate attire when receiving deliveries.

Cable news channel Formosa TV (FTV) reported on Thursday that the incident happened at about 5am on the same day, when a driver surnamed Wang (王) delivering food to a Banciao District (板橋) address was greeted by a young man dressed in boxers.

Wang said the boy was disrespectful and that he demanded that the boy put on clothes before picking up the food.

Photo: CNA

A heated exchange ensued as both parties began recording the encounter on their phones and nearly came to blows.

The two then uploaded the videos to their social media accounts and continued accusing each other of insulting behavior.

Referring to the teenager who placed the order, Wang told reporters, "he may have thought that I should not have asked him to put some pants on, but I think that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, regardless of their profession."

"You can wear whatever you want in your house, but as a stranger, I am owed some basic courtesy," he said.

The news outlet cited the teenager as saying that he did not see the harm in going about in the privacy of his home in his boxers and that he has made a complaint for poor service to the delivery app platform.

A member of the public told FTV, "it is not appropriate to be only wearing underpants. He should have worn shorts at least."

"It is not polite and there should be enough self-awareness to put on some clothes before answering the door, but the delivery driver should not have blown things out of proportion," another person said.

FTV quoted a legal expert as saying that a teenager at home wearing only underwear while receiving a delivery does not constitute public indecency or an offense against public morals, making it difficult to classify the act as illegal.

Public perceptions might vary, but the consensus is that maintaining harmony is the most prudent approach, they added.