Minimum $2

Minimum $2

Went to Alexandra Market/Food Centre for dinner after returning from Malacca.

Meals in Malacca were rather good but were also quite meat heavy. We even had KFC at Gelang Petah for tea before we returned to Singapore. [Gelang Petah is the last stop on the North South Highway before you clear the Malaysian Customs on Johor's west side and thereafter Singapore Customs at Tuas. This route is affectionately called the Second Link by both countries and it costs a bomb to travel via this route. However, the relatively lighter traffic (due to costs!) made it worthwhile.]

So decided to have rice with 2 vegetable dishes. Went up to the mixed rice stall (MISNOMER: It is actually a stall selling a variety of cooked food which you pick to go with rice. The stallholder places the rice on a plate and the food beside/on the rice) and chose kailan (kale) in oyster sauce and fried cabbage.

After the stallholder picked out the two dishes, I told her I'll just have that and wanted to pay.

She looked at me, "Minimum $2 ah." And she expected me to pay $2 for that plate of stuff that costs less than $2. I said, "$2? Let me see."

Tried to find another non-meat dish but wasn't interested in having the third vegetable. So I said, "Just add kailan to my rice till I hit $2."

I'm not a cheapskate but the principle is, if you are going to charge me $2, then serve me $2 worth. Just add on the kailan/cabbage when I say that's all I'm having.

Commonsense isn't that common after all.