The barter system is the exchange or trade of goods and services between 2 or more people, without the use of money.
And while the barter system was utilised in the olden days when money wasn’t a thing yet, it appears that the practice is still alive and well today.
Famous Penang eatery, Nasi Kandar Sulaiman, recently shared how a Malaysian had attempted to trade a pack of cigarettes for a meal worth RM10.
They wrote, “There is this one person who wanted to buy a RM10 packed meal. They didn’t have money and told us to take this pack of cigarettes as payment. Maybe they wanted to pull off a barter trade.”
Considering the pack of cigarettes are the kind that are smuggled into Malaysia and sold illegally at low prices, they apparently do not equate to the value of the meal.
Additionally, not everyone smokes, making the trade offer somewhat of an offensive one to the Nasi Kandar Sulaiman staff.
“They don’t have money to buy food but they can buy cigarettes. This is what makes us feel unsatisfied. They’re giving us cigarettes as though we smoke.”
Malaysians, on the other hand, found the exchange attempt rather hilarious, making jokes out of the situation.
“How can these be bartered? They’re not the same. On the (cigarette) box, it is mentioned that smoking can cause miscarriages. Nasi Kandar causes fullness. So they’re not the same.”
“These cigarettes are only RM6, so they would still owe RM4.”
“Ask them to eat the cigarettes.”
There were also some Malaysians who called for the person to be given the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps they’re really in a bad situation and are just too hungry.
In the end, the restaurant gave the person the meal without taking the cigarettes.
What would you have done if you were in the restaurant staff’s shoes? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
