‘Is my market value less than a teh peng?’ — Woman stunned after her date asks her to pay him back for iced milk tea

SINGAPORE: Bad dates are one thing, but imagine going out with someone who literally invoices you for a drink. That’s exactly what happened to one woman, who was left speechless when her date asked her to pay him back for a teh peng (iced milk tea).

Taking to the r/SingaporeRaw forum on Friday (Mar 14), the woman shared her bizarre experience, leaving many netizens equally baffled.

She explained that she had been chatting with this man, who was in his early 30s, for a while before he finally asked her out. Since they both shared a love for mala, she suggested they have it together at a food court.

“(On the) day of the date, we ordered to share, and I paid for it,” she wrote. At some point during the meal, the man went to buy drinks, and since he was already making a trip, she casually asked if he could grab a teh peng for her, too.

“After dinner, he said he’d like to meet again and reminded me to pay him back for the teh peng. I was like, what?? A grown ass man can’t afford teh peng???” she expressed.

While she hadn’t initially planned on asking him to split the mala, his pettiness made her reconsider. Since he was being so calculative, she told him to deduct the cost of the teh peng from the mala bill and send her his share instead.

Apparently, this didn’t sit very well with the man.

“Dude flipped out, said I’m calculative, and accused me of only doing it because I didn’t want to pay for the teh peng. I didn’t want to continue the conversation, so I told him not to contact me again. Of course, he hasn’t transferred his portion,” she continued.

“The guy is being a cheapo…”

Her post quickly blew up, garnering over 600 upvotes in just a matter of hours. The comments section was flooded with reactions, with most people calling out the man for being absurdly petty. Many were in disbelief that he had the audacity to ask for repayment over a simple teh peng, while some joked that she had narrowly escaped a financially draining relationship.

One baffled commenter pointed out the double standard: “I actually don’t understand why he wouldn’t pay for the mala? I also don’t understand why he can ask you for payment for the teh peng, but you cannot ask him for payment for the mala.”

Another user took a more humorous approach, offering a tongue-in-cheek consolation prize: “Gurlll what a red-flagged cheapo! To cleanse your soured palate from this experience, you may redeem an exquisite Cai Png experience (10 meat + veg of your choosing) on the house from yours truly. With best warm regards, TimTamDrake, not a cheapo 30-year-old.”

However, not everyone was quick to criticise the man. A few commenters suggested that his behaviour might be a reflection of financial struggles rather than pure stinginess.

One user said, “Lots of people are struggling now even (at) age 30+; he’s probably not working and facing problems. He will find one teh peng very expensive. The issues are deeper.”

Another chimed in, saying, “Maybe, he’s still looking for a job after going through 27 skills-upgrading courses and maxing out his SkillsFuture credits? Every teh-peng savings matters.”

In other news, a 25-year-old woman took to social media to share how uncomfortable she’s been ever since a male colleague started giving her unwanted gifts and attention.

Read more: ‘His behaviour is making me very uneasy’: 25 yo woman expresses discomfort after male colleague started giving her ‘unwanted gifts and attention’

Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)