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A diner in Singapore took to the internet to ask if paying S$11 for a packet of economy rice from a hawker centre in Ang Mo Kio was too much.
The unanimous response was that it was way too expensive.
A photo of the food in a transparent plastic box was shared to the Reddit forum on June 15 by the user u/Dagachi_One.
The thread was titled: "I paid $11 for lunch this morning. I bought this from a neighbourhood market. I know fish is expensive but come on is this too much. Inflation or robbery?"
Piece of fish on rice with yong tau foo
The photo showed a cross-section piece of fried fish, as well as several pieces of yong tau foo on top of the rice.
In response to comments, the person who put up the photo revealed that the food was bought at Mayflower Market and Food Centre in Ang Mo Kio, and had expected to pay between S$5 and S$6, and not S$11 for it.
One comment by the diner expressed how hard done they felt: "I work downtown where the food prices are exhortbitant (sic). Cheaper to tar pao food. I got rekt this time."
This sentiment stems from how an economy rice meal is usually one of the cheapest options available in Singapore, and is frequently touted as a working class person's food.
Responses
In response to the thread, multiple commenters said buying seafood from an economy rice stall was not recommended, especially if the price of the item was not confirmed beforehand.
Another commenter said the diner could have stopped the transaction upon finding out the price and refused to pay.
Doing so would still be within the rights of a buyer in a transaction if the goods did not change hands, it was suggested.
The thread also mentioned the skyrocketing costs of some food items, such as seafood, as certain fish could be more expensive in recent days as a result of inflation and supply shortages.
How big is the fish?
Based on the photo, the plastic square container is the standard 15.8cm by 15.8cm box.
via Lazada
The fish is estimated to be 12cm in length -- a relatively hefty slice of fish as it would be about the size of an adult person's hand.
The breakdown of the dish could be S$7 for the fish, S$3.50 for the yong tau foo and S$0.50 for the rice.
Mothership.sg's checks with a local mookata stall owner confirmed that prices of certain seafood have increased by 20 to 30 per cent in recent weeks, with certain items, such as salmon, either in short supply or too expensive to serve due to supply shocks.
Top photo via Reddit u/Dagachi_One & Pierce Tay