Just had nasi tomato for dinner .
I'm showing you a packet of Nasi Lemak with I which stands for Ikan and a lone egg to illustrate the illogical maths equation I was subjected to when the owner's son totalled up my bill .
Nasi tomato boy :
" Lapan campur tujuh ...lapan....lapanlah "
( Eight plus seven is eight . That'll be eight ringgit )
Muah :
blinking . Trying to let it register .
I take out a ten and hand it to him .
Nasi Tomato boy :
He blinks . Looks at me .
Muah :
I don't want to correct him because I really like their cooking . So I utter out ...
" Errrrr...."
Nasi tomato boy :
Looks exasperated . Repeats himself
" Lapan campur tujuh .
Sebelas lapan "
( Eight plus seven . Eleven eighty )
Muah :
Blinking again because I was holding my breath and waiting for him to say fifteen . Okayyyy.
I hand him an extra 2 ringgit.
Nasi tomato boy :
Hands me 20 sen back in change .
Kiddo :
" You should have taught him ! And given him the correct amount "
Muah :
" What ? And embarass him ?
Gosh no way . I still wanna be his customer "
Kiddo :
" Well , then ask him to use a calculator "
Muah :
" You realise you're younger than he is and yet you still don't like me to teach you stuff ? He's more than 20 and you want me to do what ? "
I go home and eat in disturbed silence, with a frown plastered across my face , shaking my head like I'm on some kinda prescription .
My takeaway dinner is amazing as usual but today , my head is throbbing .
In a gist : Kids , although the Nasi Tomato boy has probably not attended school , please , puleeezzz take your math lessons seriously or you might cause someone , somewhere out there in the big wide world , to frown over her very tasty dinner one day .
Location : Penang
