Another day, another gripe about overpriced cai png in Singapore. This time, it involves a food court near the Woodlands Bus Interchange.
On Saturday (31 Aug), 52-year-old Fu Huiying (transliterated from Mandarin) ordered mixed rice with three dishes: mushroom stir-fry, lotus root stir-fry, and petai with minced meat.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
She was taken aback when her bill came to S$7.70.
“In my experience, these three dishes typically cost around S$4 or S$5,” she told Shin Min Daily News.
Ms Fu noted that another customer paid a similar amount for chicken, stir-fried beef, and a fried egg with rice.
She found this puzzling, as her order was primarily vegetable dishes, while the other meal included three meat options.
When she asked the staff for an explanation, they confirmed that the prices were correct.
Reporters from Shin Min Daily News visited the stall for further investigation and found that there was a price list only for staff, with none for the general public.
The stall owner, 60-year-old Chen Meiyun (transliterated from Mandarin), explained that Ms Fu’s order included higher-priced vegetables.
“The mushroom and lotus root stir-fries are S$2 each, while the petai with minced meat costs S$3,” she said. “With 70 cents for the rice, the total is S$7.70.”
Ms Chen also broke down the pricing of the other customer’s meal: chicken was S$1.50, beef S$4, and fried eggs S$1 each.
Other stall owners noted that petai, also known as stink beans, are generally expensive.
Source: CasualRecipes on Facebook, for illustration purposes only
Chen Xiaoli (transliterated from Mandarin), the owner of a stall that specialises in sambal petai rice, highlighted that it’s rare to find petai dishes at cai png stalls.
Furthermore, the price of petai can be quite steep and fluctuates frequently.
“At its peak, a single kilogram of petai can be sold for S$30,” she stated. “Typically, it is around S$20.”
Ms Chen added that charging S$3 for petai with minced meat is relatively affordable, given its high cost.
Also read: Customer complains about S$9.30 cai png from Bukit Batok food court, stall reportedly apologises
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and SANTIASIH on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
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