Man Complains Online That $1.90 Cai Png With Sardine & Curry Veg Is “So Expensive”
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“Walao, so expensive”
In a post on Facebook group Eat Wherever You Are, which comprises mainly Malaysian foodies, a member surnamed Tay shared his kopitiam cai png meal.
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He wrote in Chinese: “Walao, a slab of sardine, curry vegetables, the boss charged me S$1.90. So expensive. #SG” Accompanying his food was a can of oolong tea, presumably from the coffee shop’s drinks stall.
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Netizens debate
Tay’s post attracted over 400 comments, with netizens debating whether it was fair to deem the $1.90 plate of economic rice as expensive. Most of the comments opined that Tay was expecting too much, and that $1.90 was very reasonable.
“Do you need me to report this to CASE for you?” teased one commenter, though Tay appeared to reply seriously: “I forgot to take the receipt. There’s no proof.”
Photo source Another commenter wrote: “Rice needs a rice cooker to cook, vegetables need oil to fry, curry powder must be purchased, and you need water to cook. Sardines are bought canned. Altogether, it’s not unreasonable to charge you $5 for your food. You can try to sell me this at S$1.90 and see if I’ll buy it.”A man living in Johor Bahru also weighed in: “It would cost about RM7.50 to RM8 ($2.20 - $2.40) in JB. Are you making fun of us Johorians? This [food] is cheap.”
Another netizen gently poked fun at Tay, saying: “$1.90 must be the price of your oolong tea, you haven’t counted the economic rice.”
One group member heatedly retorted: ““You eat rice but don’t know the value of rice. It’s cheap but you say it’s expensive. Go home and cook it yourself!”
Photo source However, there were netizens who seemingly agreed with Tay, with one saying: “It’s indeed very expensive. A whole can of sardines costs only $0.90.”
