Costly crab

Costly crab

From Bisnis Indonesia

Singapore is known for its cleanliness and orderliness. It is also the most prosperous country in Southeast Asia. The people, from hawkers to the prime minister, are friendly, honest, disciplined, hardworking and reliable. This was my impression when I first visited the country in 1977.

On Feb. 4, 1996, my wife, parents-in-law, a friend of mine and I went to Newton Food Centre to have our dinner. We ordered several different dishes including fish and a Sri Lankan crab which is a specialty there.

The food was delicious and we all enjoyed our dinner. But when I paid the bill, I was shocked to learn that I was charged S$210 for all we had eaten. And the most expensive item was the Sri Lankan crab, which cost S$70 and the fish cost S$55. In Jakarta, even in star-rated hotel, a crab would not cost that much, maybe between 15 and 20 Singapore dollars at most. When I asked about the price the hawker said in Hokkian something like "If you think it is too expensive then you need not come back to us."

I was told later that Japanese and Indonesian tourists are an easy target of extortion in that restaurant.

JOHANNES KITONO

Jakarta