Costly crab<\/p>\n
From Bisnis Indonesia<\/p>\n
Singapore is known for its cleanliness and orderliness. It is
\nalso the most prosperous country in Southeast Asia. The people,
\nfrom hawkers to the prime minister, are friendly, honest,
\ndisciplined, hardworking and reliable. This was my impression
\nwhen I first visited the country in 1977.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 4, 1996, my wife, parents-in-law, a friend of mine and
\nI went to Newton Food Centre to have our dinner. We ordered
\nseveral different dishes including fish and a Sri Lankan crab
\nwhich is a specialty there.<\/p>\n
The food was delicious and we all enjoyed our dinner. But when
\nI paid the bill, I was shocked to learn that I was charged S$210
\nfor all we had eaten. And the most expensive item was the Sri
\nLankan crab, which cost S$70 and the fish cost S$55. In Jakarta,
\neven in star-rated hotel, a crab would not cost that much, maybe
\nbetween 15 and 20 Singapore dollars at most. When I asked about
\nthe price the hawker said in Hokkian something like \"If you think
\nit is too expensive then you need not come back to us.\"<\/p>\n
I was told later that Japanese and Indonesian tourists are an
\neasy target of extortion in that restaurant.<\/p>\n
JOHANNES KITONO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/costly-crab-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }