Dear readers, recently I went to my staff canteen for lunch as usual.
As I was going through stalls by stalls, looking for affordable but yet filling meal, I finally decided to go for mixed vegetable rice from the other mixed vegetable rice staff that I seldom patronised, simply because the food spread on display at the stall looked better.
After ordering the usual 2 vegetables and 1 meat dishes, I was shocked to be told that the food costs $5.80! I asked the food stall assistant the reason for what seems to be exorbitant food prices and she explained to me the meat dish that I ordered “was no ordinary meat dish”. In her own words, she told me “an ordinary meat dish” is something like the sweet and sour pork.
I was unconvinced at what she said and as I was about to point to the “no ordinary meat dish” to ask her how “unordinary” this meat dish was, she pointed to a display sign in front of the dishes and explained that prices of “no ordinary meat dish” has already been put upfront to inform customers.
Seeing the sign, I just shrugged my head, precisely because the sign was small, non-visible and even if the sign was visible, its placement in front of a number of dishes made it hard for customers to understand exactly which meat dish the sign refers to.
I was very disappointed once again as this is not the first time that I have paid more than what I have expected for my dishes from a mixed vegetable stall, and was told that either one of the dishes I ordered was “not an ordinary meat dish” or “the vegetable dish was not a vegetable dish but considered a meat dish” (just simply because there are some bits of minced meat in one of the cases!).
In general, I give my utmost respect to the many mixed vegetables rice stalls here in Singapore for providing filling, reasonably-priced and nourishing food, with a variety of selections to ordinary Singaporeans in these times of high cost of living. But I would really wish that some of these food stall holders convey clearly what are the “not ordinary meat dishes” or “what looks like vegetables dishes are simply counted as meat dishes (in disguise)” upfront to the customers.
That way, when the customers order, they will pay prices as what they have expected and will not feel that their “wallets are emptier” even when their stomachs are fuller after the meal.
To be “on the safer side” as I navigate the daily high costs of living, I think I will try as much as possible not to deviate from “sweet and sour pork” which are considered “ordinary meat dishes” at many mixed vegetable rice stall.