'Yes, beancurd is meat': Kopitiam food court staff allegedly said after woman complained about $6.70 'cai fan'

A woman was baffled when she was charged $6.70 for her economy rice at Kopitiam food court at Hougang 1 shopping mall on Sunday (Sept 10).

Stomp contributor Jayne had ordered rice with steamed pork, steamed egg, braised beancurd skin, and sausage with potatoes from the Chang Cheng mixed rice stall at around 12.39pm.

She said: "I was charged $6.70. When I asked why so expensive as I ordered only three vegetables and one meat, the stall worker told me that it was two vegetables and two meats.

"Curious, I asked if the sausage was considered meat. The worker said no, the beancurd skin is considered meat. Surprised, I doubled checked with the female worker and she said, 'Yes, beancurd is meat.'

"I wonder why beancurd is sold as meat? It is so cheap and I thought it is vegetarian."

Jayne also pointed out that she was given only four pieces of steamed pork and there were no other ingredients, meat or otherwise, with the beancurd.

She said: "The beancurd skin is clearly braised with only dark sauce. How come they sell it as meat?"

The Stomp contributor feels that $5+ would be a reasonable price for her meal.

She added: "I have ordered from this stall a few times before and the price had always been fair, considering that this is a food court.

"However, it's a bit ridiculous this time. Even if it was two vegetables and two real meats, $6.70 is still a bit more expensive than what I usually pay.

"Recently, a lot of my friends dare not order preserved vegetables at economy rice stalls as it's counted as meat. Some stalls have pork with the preserved vegetables but others only have pork fat inside. If it's counted as meat price, we prefer to just order fried pork slices."

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This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.