Less Rice for the Same Price At Street Food Places Across Asia

Less Rice for the Same Price At Street Food Places Across Asia

In many Asian countries, street food has long been an important part of society and the economy. The offerings are tasty and do not cost very much.

But the COVID-19 pandemic and now the war in Ukraine are putting pressure on the food traditions.

In Beijing, China, profits at Ma Hong's hotpot restaurant have been cut by about 20 percent since it opened last year. The prices of beef have shot up by more than 50 percent. The costs of other important food products are rising, too.

Ma said, "We sell it at the same price as before. Also, with the impact¹ of the pandemic, everybody is hanging in there. It is the same all over Beijing, we are not the only restaurant suffering."

Asian restaurants and street food sellers² are facing a difficult choice. They can keep the same price and lose money or raise the cost of food and lose customers.

The prices of goods that were limited in supply during the pandemic are now even higher because of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Mohammad Ilyas is a cook at a biryani shop in Karachi, Pakistan. He said the price of a kilogram of biryani, a seasoned rice dish, has doubled in price. It now costs about 400 Pakistani rupees, or $2.20.

"I have been working at this kitchen for the last 15 years," he said. "These days prices of rice and spices have gone up so much that poor people can't afford to eat..."

Some businesses are dealing³ with the cost pressures by giving customers smaller food servings.

At a street food corner in Jakarta, Indonesia, Syahrul Zainullah has cut his servings of an Indonesian fried⁴ rice dish. He chose to do this instead of raise prices or use lower quality ingredients⁶.

In South Korea, inflation⁷ at a 12-year high. Choi Sun-hwa, a kimchi shop owner, explained that the cost of cabbage has risen greatly. Kimchi is traditionally served for free alongside⁸ meals at Korean eateries. But even kimchi has become a costly⁹ food product. Choi said she will not be able to continue to operate her shop if she cannot raise her prices.

Seo Jae-eun, a customer at Choi's shop, said kimchi should now be called "keum-chi." Keum means "gold" in Korean.

"I can't ask restaurants to give more kimchi these days," she said. "And it's too expensive to make my own at home."

Words in This Story

society - n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values

impact - n. a powerful or major influence or effect

customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

ingredient⁵ - n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc.

rely - v. to need (someone or something) for support, help, etc. : to depend on (someone or something)

1 impact   

n.冲击，碰撞；影响；vt.装紧，压紧

参考例句：

• The computer had made a great impact on modern life.计算机对现代生活产生了巨大的影响.
• How will the war impact on such a poet?战争对这样一个诗人会产生什么影响？

2 sellers   

n.卖者( seller的名词复数 )；卖方；销售者；销售商

参考例句：

• buyers and sellers transacting business 进行交易的买方和卖方
• All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 fried   

adj.油煎的；油炒的

参考例句：

• I ate everything fried.所有油炸的我都吃。
• I prefer fried peanuts.我选择炸花生。

5 ingredient   

n.（烹饪）等的材料，原料，成分，因素

参考例句：

• The basic ingredient of this meal is rice.这一餐的主要原料是大米。
• Trust is a key ingredient.信任是关键要素。

6 ingredients   

n.（混合物的）组成部分( ingredient的名词复数 )；（烹调的）原料；（构成）要素；因素

参考例句：

• All ingredients are readily available from your local store. 所有的原料都可以方便地从你当地的商店买到。
• We never use second quality ingredients to build building. 我们决不使用次等材料用于建筑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 inflation   

n.胀大，夸张，通货膨胀

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• The inflation of the airbed took several minutes.给空气床垫充气花了几分钟时间。

8 alongside   

adv.在旁边；prep.和...在一起，在...旁边

参考例句：

• There was a butcher's shop alongside the theatre.剧院旁边有一家肉店。
• Alongside of him stood his uncle.他的身旁站着他叔叔。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。