'Arrogant boss' with 'attitude problem': Customer rejected by hawker for ordering kway chap without meat

You can't always get what you want, no matter how simple the request might be.

One customer found this out when he tried to order a dish of kway chap from a stall at Albert Food Centre on last Saturday (April 29), reported Shin Min Daily News.

The customer, surnamed Yang, shared that he was unexpectedly turned down after ordering four pieces of tau pok (fried beancurd puffs), one fishcake, and one braised egg, along with two bowls of kway (rice sheets in soupy gravy).

The 59-year-old property manager revealed that he only wanted those items as he did not eat pork nor braised intestines and pig skin — typically the key ingredients in kway chap.

"I told him the order was for two people but he turned it down. Even when I told him it was for one person, he refused to sell it to me," said Yang.

Yang alleged that when pressed for a reason, the owner's explanation was because Yang did not order any meat.

A puzzled Yang told Shin Min Daily News that he had patronised the stall before and placed the same order successfully.

At the time, he was simply told that he would be charged the price of one regular set meal, which he had no issues with.

"I've eaten at kway chap stalls across the island, but this is my first time meeting such an arrogant boss. It's not about the money, the problem is his attitude," said Yang. 

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When contacted by Shin Min Daily News, the stall's 65-year-old owner, surnamed Zhang, explained that he'd turned Yang down because the latter's order came up to only $4, which was less than the minimum $5 price for an individual set.

"Even though he said he was willing to pay the price of a regular set, I still felt that it wasn't right. What if someone were to complain about how expensive the kway chap is even without meat? It'll be hard for me to defend myself," explained Zhang, who maintained that he did not scold Yang.

"I just told him that I'm not selling and he'll have to eat something else," said Zhang.

He stated that doing business is all about having a willing buyer and a willing seller. Zhang, who's been selling kway chap for 30 years, also told Shin Min Daily News that it is difficult to cater to each customer's individual demands.

Yang however, shared that while stallholders have the right to determine their own rules when it comes to selling to customers, they should stipulate them clearly to prevent any disputes.

No restrictions on customer's orders, but...

Several other kway chap stall owners whom Shin Min Daily News spoke to said they don't require customers to order a regular set. However, some stallholders shared that they would reject an order if they don't meet a minimum number of items.

When interviewed, the owner of A&C Braised Duck Kway Chap, located at Blk 605 Yishun St 61, told the Chinese daily that they do encounter customers who ask for kway chap without any meat or offal.

"We have a $3.50 'four heavenly kings' set for them which includes tau kwa (bean curd cakes), tau pok, egg and fishcake," said the owner, surnamed Huang.

He added that businesses in the neighbourhood generally try their best to cater to customers' demands, but there are limits.

"If the items picked come up to less than $2 then we don't sell it, as it will affect the assortment of ingredients left for our set meals," Huang explained.

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candicecai@asiaone.com