Having read the below article from New Paper, I have the following
to ask:
>> Ethics in question, who do we question?
> the stall holder ?
> or the Vietnam supplier?
>> New emerging economy Vietnam: are their sense of
ethics
becoming corrupted by money? - seems to be the traits of all
emerging economies...
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He's charged for 450g crab & 300g rope
Upset Tampines diner refuses to eat or pay
May 15, 2007
TAMPINES resident Chen Qing Hong (above) was puzzled when the small
steamed crab he ordered cost him $21.
When weighed for a photograph, the ropes around the crab tipped the
scales at about 300g. --
The 80-year-old was shocked to discover that he was being charged
not just for the 450g Vietnam crab but also the 300g of rope that
had been used to tie it.
Based on a price of $30 per kg for the crab, the rope cost $7.50,
reported Shin Min Daily News.
An angry Mr Chen refused to eat the crab or pay for it.
But the owner of the zi char stall he had ordered the crab from
said she had not cheated him.
She said that she was charged for the weight of the rope by her
supplier and was just passing on thecost.
The incident happened last week at a coffee shop at Block 419,
Tampines Street41.
Mr Chen was looking forward to tucking into the single steamed crab
he had ordered. But when the dish arrived, he was shocked to be
presented with a bill for$21.
Mr Chen, who said he loves eating crabs, felt that the crab on the
plate could not have weighed more than500g.
Convinced he was being cheated, he went to the kitchen to clarify
the cost of the meal with Ms Huang Xiu Mei, 42, the owner of the
stall.
(Left) One of the Vietnamese crabs that the zi char stall in
Tampines occasionally serves. It typically comes with thick ropes
around it, said stall owner Huang Xiu Mei. --
She took him to the crab display area and showed him the tied-up
crabs and a clump of rope used to tie the crab on Mr Chen's
table.
Mr Chen said he put the wet rope on a nearby weighing scales and
was shocked to see that it weighed 300g.
Ms Huang said: 'When the crabs were delivered to me, they were
already like this. The supplier also charged me for the weight of
the rope.'
So she had no choice but to pass on the cost to the customer,
shesaid.
Ms Huang, who has had the stall for 21/2years, said she usually
buys Sri Lankan crabs, and has served Vietnamese crabs only a few
times, when there is a shortage of crabs from Sri Lanka.
She added: 'I've realised for a long time that the amount of rope
being used seems to be getting more andmore.'
She said that in the beginning, about 100g of rope would be used to
tie each crab.
Now, it's about 300g.
The importer told Shin Min Daily News that the crabs are tied that
way in Vietnam.
(Left) One of the Vietnamese crabs that the zi char stall in
Tampines occasionally serves. It typically comes with thick ropes
around it, said stall owner Huang Xiu Mei. --
He said he has given feedback about the amount of rope used several
times, but nothing has been done about it.
Ms Huang said that she will probably stop buying crabs from Vietnam
and has returned the rest of the crabs to thesupplier.
She said she did not blame MrChen for not paying.
She said: 'He is an old customer. I can't blame him and chase him
away because of one crab.'
