Econo-Mee to suit everyone's economy

I just love noodles - all types of noodles. I can eat noodles everyday and can go without rice or bread for a whole year. Hence, when I was running Rialto, I even cococted my own dish - Oriental Seafood Pasta which was quite a hit. My Penang Char Koay Teow is a popular delight with my friends and colleagues. I had tailor cooked the koay teow to suit Singapore palates - 95% Penang style and 5% Singapore style. When one cooks with love, the food always turns out to be extra delicious!

Having just had the dining experience at Annalakshmi, and understanding the principles of the founder that service is more important than the money earned, and believing in the goodness of men that they will pay what is fair for the food, I began to think along the same lines. Especially now that there is this huge debate about the great jump in civil servants' pay, it makes the poor seem even poorer, since the gap is widening. Should I come up with a new dish called econo-mee to suit everyone's economy so that like the Founder of Annalaksmi, I can be of service to my nation.

Let's think. The Kuching kolo-mee range from $3.00 to $5.00 depending on the ingredients. The dish is nice but the trouble is that the ingredients are usually more than the noodles. It is sufficient for me, but for my nephews, they complain they don't feel full and would love to have slightly more noodles.

Perhaps my econo-mee can be priced and done differently. I would set up a big canteen where my econo-mee would be sold at $0.80 cents per bowl. The noodles alone would be so nice that they can be eaten on their own like the way people enjoy maggi mee, but unlike maggi mee it will be even tastier and sprinkled with healthy condiments of garlic and spring onions. For extreme hardship cases, the canteen will not even charge for the noodles. Will solicit the help of volunteers whose reward is to see the joy on the faces of the poor. If more organisations believe in this concept and make donations, the canteen will whip up more econo-mee at even 50 cents a bowl... cheaper than a glass of kopi-o.

My econo-mee will be priced at $2.00 to $8.00 for the working class. But I will give greater value for money. The wider range in price is to give customers a greater choice. On pay day, try the $8.00 noodles. On month end, where the pocket is lighter, go for the $2.00 version.

I will set up a posh restaurant which specialises in noodles alone. The noodles are priced at $40.00 to $100.00 per bowl. I will give Hua Ting a run for their money.
The rich will be proud to be noticed at my up-market restaurant where people know your pockets must be deep in order to be able to enter.

I am not economically inclined. Have never even passed Maths throughout high school and can never understand Economics as a subject. Thank God I did not have to go through Junior College. Right now, can still never remember whether the debit should be on the right or left when doing accounts, etc. I only know I am a good and creative cook, and have inherited my parents' traits of compassion and great hospitality. I also learn from my parents that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and that in life, one is happier when one can give instead of just grab everything one can lay hold of. Papa's favourite words, "Water others and you will be watered; prosper others and you will be prosperous".

How nice if my concept and noodles become well-known so that everyone will say, "We have a great econo-mee in Singapore". Like the Visa ad, people will remind each other not to leave Singapore without it!!! Students and those studying and working overseas will salivate when they miss my econo-mee.

Will my readers support my new econo-mee? Come on, please give me your precious feedback.