SINGAPORE: After an uncle manning a food stall charged a man $11.60 for cai fan, which was more than the price he expected, his girlfriend protested. The couple then just walked away, despite shouts from the uncle.
The man has now taken to the Reddit community forum to ask for advice on what he could have done better and if there are any “ramifications” to his actions. In his post on r/askSingapore on Tuesday (Jan 7), the post author asked if anyone else has been in the same situation.
It’s not uncommon, after all, for Singaporeans to advise those who feel that they have been overcharged for their meals to simply walk away instead of paying.
The post author wrote that at the food stall concerned, it was clearly stated that meat dishes cost $2.50 per serving, vegetable dishes cost $1.30, rice cost $0.60, and a takeaway charge $0.50.
Since his girlfriend’s cai fan comprised two meat and one vegetable dish, he figured the total bill would be $7.40. To his surprise, however, the staff charged $11.60.
This caused the man to ask for a breakdown of the bill, and the uncle told him that the black pepper chicken his girlfriend had ordered was a “premium” dish that cost more, and the vegetable had seafood in it, though the man failed to clarify this when the post author placed his order.
He also wrote that the only seafood he saw in the vegetable dish was “tiny anchovies.”
Not wishing to make a fuss, the man was ready to pay because while the price was high, it was pretty much what he would have paid in Australia for the same meal.
However, his girlfriend grew upset and, after confronting the uncle, pulled the man away. The uncle shouted after them, and the man’s girlfriend shouted back, but they kept on walking away.
The man added that he feared their faces would appear in the news.
“I’ve been overseas for almost two years, but before that, I have regularly eaten cai fan and never experienced this before, lol… so is it a ‘me’ problem or the stall’s problem?” he asked.
Commenters on his post reassured him that they had done nothing wrong and that the food they had ordered could easily be returned. Many Reddit users also cheered the post author’s girlfriend, calling her a “keeper” and saying she displayed “ultimate green flag” behaviour.
“You just got covered for life; never let her go,” one told him. /TISG