SINGAPORE: It probably won’t earn any Michelin accolades or top online food rankings, but you can’t go wrong with economy rice. Cai fan, also called mixed vegetable rice, is one of the most reliable meals in Singapore.
With a wide variety of cooked dishes displayed that customers can simply point to, it is convenient for busy people to have a quick and satisfying meal. Above all, with economy in its name, it’s known – and expected – to be affordable.
So every now and then, dissatisfied customers take to social media in a tizzy and some economy rice stalls draw flak for their prices, especially amid high inflation and the rising cost of living.
In one incident posted on online forum Reddit, one customer was incredulous that a plate of rice with one meat and two vegetable dishes cost S$5.70. Another disgruntled customer claimed on Facebook that he had been charged S$5 and S$9 for the same meal at the same stall on different days.
Though nasi padang is generally accepted as being more expensive than economy rice, netizens have also cried foul, such as one who was unexpectedly charged S$24 for a meal that included fish roe.
On the other hand, economy rice stalls in Bedok and Hougang have been applauded for keeping prices at S$2 for a plate with three dishes. Such large discrepancy in market prices have not gone unnoticed in today’s digital age.