S'pore man, 26, offers Pokémon card in exchange for mum's birthday dinner, gets free family feast

“Clearance sale, everything must go!”

“Clearing all for cheap!”

“Wife say I have to sleep outside if I don’t make space.”

These are the types of posts that commonly pop up in the PokéMart SG Facebook trading group, a furious clamour of people buying, selling and trading cards.

On Sep. 23, a single post stood out among the rest.

Jonathan Tay, 26, wrote that he was offering up one of his prized Pokémon card sets — a Lost Origin Elite Trainer Box — but he wasn’t looking to make a profit from it.

Instead, he only had a single request: He wanted to trade it for a birthday dinner for his mum.

The post that started it all

He wrote in the post that he wanted his parents to be more open about the hobby and to prove to them that the community was one that was supportive and had each other’s backs.

“My mum birthday will be over this weekend I’m looking to trade this lost origin ETB for a family of 6 dinner or activities. If any of the brothers and sisters here is a local F&B or entertainment business I would love to support and trade with this.”

An ETB is something that is usually sought after in the Pokémon community, as it typically contains not only several sets of cards packaged together, but also sometimes exclusive promo cards.

As of now, the ETB that Tay offered is listed as sold out online, and most users note that the current price it is going for can easily cover the cost of a decent meal.

Little did he know that his post would draw the attention of a complete stranger who would turn down his trade and instead offer his whole family a free dinner.

An unexpected trade

Among the many who saw the post was Darryl Peh, the owner of White House Teochew Porridge.

Peh, a fellow Pokémon enthusiast, had been tagged in the post by a trading card friend.

Speaking to Mothership, Peh said: “I think he wanted to impress his mum — show her that his Pokémon investment paid off and that the community is helpful.”

“I just thought, why not further impress his mum? I like family time, and it really makes me happy to make somebody’s day.”

Instead of accepting a trade, Peh left a simple, light-hearted comment:

A family feast

That night, the family was treated to braised duck, pork belly, otah, steamed red grouper, and more.

According to Peh, the meal probably costs around S$60 to S$80.

“I was excited to serve them,” Peh said. “It really makes me happy to see people enjoying my dad’s cuisine.”

Peh himself received an unexpected Pokémon offer at his own restaurant that day.

Tay had snuck a Kanazawa Pikachu into Peh's hand when he arrived there.

“Take this, bro, I can’t eat for free,” he had said to Peh.

The restaurant owner recalled being moved when Tay handed him the card, especially since he had previously mentioned his fondness for the Pokémon Center Pikachu series.

According to the PriceCharting site, the Kanazawa Pikachu card is currently going for around US$80 (S$103).

Peh told Mothership that he would send the card for grading and had plans to display it in his restaurant as a memento to commemorate the moment.

Community reaction

In a follow-up post, Tay thanked Peh and shared their story with the PokéMart SG group.

Netizens flooded the comments, calling it “wholesome” and “heartwarming.”

When Pokémon cards do make the headlines, it is often about the obsessive scalpers or re-sellers pulling off wild stunts in order to grab cards that might rocket in value.

Tay and Peh, however, managed to prove that it went beyond just the cards and prices and that it could be about the community as well.

“The Pokémon card community is very united and friendly,” Peh said.

Tay agreed:

“From the movie and the shows, I already liked Pokémon. But this time, I saw how people in the community can really be there for each other.”

While Peh eventually accepted the ETB, he cheekily advised Tay to keep it and pass it to his mother so that he could “show her [in the] future [it'll] become more $$$”.

Top images via jonathantayx/Facebook