2016年CRI ＂Overpriced Fish＂ Triggers Discussion on Social Media

 

A customer surnamed Chen from Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, claimed he was charged over ten thousand yuan for a fish feast during a visit to a wild fish village in Harbin city.

A bill posted by Chen on his Sina Weibo account shows the price of the Huso sturgeon he purchased at the restaurant was as high as 796yuan per kilogram.

Mr. Chen spoke¹ gave more details about his experience in a phone interview.

"I think the restaurant mislead us on the weight of the fish. They first told us the Huso sturgeon was 5.2 kilogram. But when we checked out the bill, the fish's weight showed on the receipt was 7.2 kilograms. After we questioned the price, the restaurant staff clashed with us. Then we called the police."

In response, the manager of the restaurant, Zhao Ling, said their pricing system was transparent² and reasonable.

"After customers order the fish, we clearly tell them the price per kilogram. You can also see a fixed³ price list on the wall. Then we'll bring the customers to weigh the fish, check the kilograms and price with them. In Mr. Chen's case, we gave him a discount over 3,000 yuan to settle the dispute, which means we only charged him the cost price in total of 7,200 yuan. So his claim of spending over ten thousand yuan on the meal was not true."

Though Mr. Chen soon deleted the post of "overpriced fish" on the social media, his experience has triggered an investigation⁴ by the local price bureau into the case.

Sun Baisen, director of Harbin Market Supervisory Authority says the investigation confirms the fish was sold at reasonable price.

"Through our investigation into the restaurant involved, their pricing system and standards are in accordance with laws and regulations. By checking the final receipt, we found Mr. Chen's claim is inconsistent with the actual consumer spending and weight of Huso sturgeon."

He added that after checking the surveillance video, the authority found Mr. Chen's accusation⁵ that there was a physical altercation⁶ involving restaurant staff did not fit the facts.

Sun Baisen indicated they are still trying to contact other customers, in order to get further evidence to ascertain⁷ the truth.

Unreasonable⁸ charges in China's catering⁹ industry has long been a target of public criticism, especially during holidays.

An open-air restaurant in Qingdao, Shandong Province was found to charge a customer over 1,500 yuan for a dish of shrimp¹⁰ during last year's National Day holidays.

It was fined 90,000 yuan with its license¹¹ suspended at last.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

3 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

6 altercation   

n.争吵，争论

参考例句：

• Throughout the entire altercation,not one sensible word was uttered.争了半天，没有一句话是切合实际的。
• The boys had an altercation over the umpire's decision.男孩子们对裁判的判决颇有争议。

7 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

8 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

9 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

10 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

11 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。