Maybe I’m reaching that age where I’m officially a “complain king,” but I need to get this off my chest. I’m in my early 40s, and I remember back in the late 90s and early 2000s, going to McDonald’s or KFC was a treat.
If you told your parents you wanted a McValue meal, they’d tell you, “Boy, you think I print money ah? Go downstairs eat fish ball noodles, two dollars only.” Back then, fast food was the “premium” lifestyle for students. The Kopitiam was the safety net for when you were broke.
Fast forward to 2026, and the logic has completely flipped.
Yesterday, I went to a “renovated” Kopitiam in the heartlands. A basic bowl of Bak Chor Mee with barely any minced meat? $6.50. Want a Teh-C Kosong? That’s $1.90. You’re looking at almost $9 for a meal where you’re sweating under a ceiling fan that hasn’t been cleaned since the Lee Kuan Yew era.
Then I look at the fast-food apps. I can get a promo meal—burger, fries, drink—for $6.00 to $7.50. It’s air-conditioned. The drink is actually cold. The floor isn’t oily.
How did we get here? Last time, we avoided fast food to save money. Now, I find myself looking at the $12 “Signature” Laksa at the food court and thinking, “Wah lau, might as well go eat a McSpicy, at least I get a loyalty point.”
It feels like the “middle-class” experience has been squeezed. The traditional hawker price is sprinting to catch up with “cafe prices,” while the global fast-food chains are using their supply chains to keep things (relatively) stable. Even the “Caifan” (Economy Rice) isn’t economy anymore. You take two meats and one veg, suddenly the auntie says $7.20, and you stand there wondering if you accidentally ordered abalone.
Is it just the “Greedflation” of these new food court operators, or are we witnessing the death of the affordable hawker culture? I’m starting to feel like a stranger in my own neighborhood. Last time I was young and fast food was “EX.” Now I’m old and “OLD LE,” and the Golden Arches are the only thing protecting my wallet.
Anyone else feeling the same, or have I just become a grumpy Uncle?