Fluctuating Roti Canai Price

Two or three times a week I have breakfast at this huge nasi kandar restaurant somewhere in Ampang. The food is OK, the place is clean, the service is quite acceptable. But there’s something I just don’t understand about that place.

Every time I go, I order the same thing. Two roti kosong (they chop it up) and one ‘teh ais’ (I can eat this stuff 3 meals a day).

But every time I got and pay at the counter, I get a different price. Sometimes RM3.10, sometimes RM3.20. The cheapest I got was RM2.40, the highest was RM3.60.

Every time it is different. There can’t be a mistake in the tab, since they use mark out your order on a bill and pass to you.

Today I asked the guy manning the cash register (It’s the same guy everyday). This guy has a perpetual look of boredom on his face (Why? Isn’t it an exhilarating job?).

So I said in Malay, “Boss, do you know that each time I come here, I order the same stuff, but the price is different every time?”

“Huh?” came the reply (no change in glazed expression).

So repeated the question (He may need a ‘talian hayat’ to understand the question, folks!).

He replied, “You mean at this shop?”

No, I meant the Lobby Lounge at the JW Marriot, you genius.

When I said yes, he took a few seconds to digest the info, at the same time giving me this baffled look as if I just explained Fermat’s Last Theorem to him.

Anyway, I didn’t have all day, so I just asked him for the ‘price of the day’ (today it soared up to RM3.60 again).

Since there is no price list anywhere (or one that I can see), I’m guessing the correct price should be RM3.20. Or maybe it IS like the share market.




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