A woman in Singapore was left feeling robbed after she paid S$5.50 (approx. RM18) for a plate of economy rice at a stall.
When questioned about the incident by reporters, the vendor gave a rather unexpected explanation for the price of the meal.
SG woman charged RM18 for economy rice
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the woman surnamed Zheng (transliteration), said she bought the economy rice at a stall near her home at Block 133 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 along with friends.
After ordering two vegetables and one meat, she proceeded to make payment, where she thought she only had to pay S$3 or S$4 (approx. RM10 or RM13), To her shock, it cost her S$5.50.
“When I asked the staff about the bill, they didn’t give me a clear explanation. I was left feeling dissatisfied and paid without arguing further.
“I think this charge is a bit unreasonable, and I will not patronise it again,” she said.
‘Veges are difficult to wash’
Shin Min later approached the vendor Zhang, who provided a breakdown of Zheng’s meal: S$2 (approx. RM6.60) per portion for spinach and red spinach, S$1 (approx. RM3.30) for the meatballs, and S$0.50 (approx. RM1.60) for the rice.
She added that the vegetables cost a bit more as they needed more resources to be washed clean.
They contain a lot of dirt and sand. They have to be soaked twice and rinsed once, which is more labour and water-intensive and time-consuming than preparing other vegetables.
“If you don’t choose these two vegetables, the price will be $3. I have been running a stall in a coffee shop for about 10 years and never calculated the price carelessly. When customers choose these vegetables, I will remind them that it is $2,” she explained.
However, Zhang admitted that her husband might have been the one who served Zheng that day and had forgotten to notify her about it.
Meanwhile, a longtime customer told Shin Min that he felt paying $5 or $6 for a meal wasn’t excessive, especially given the current economic situation.
“The quality of their food is not bad, and the dishes offered are not like ordinary cai png (economy rice), so it is normal for the price to be slightly higher,” he added.
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