MEComposing

... food suppliers, from farmers to restaurateurs and bakers, are facing a crunch. Do they inflate their prices or do they use cheaper ingredients or sell at smaller portions?

I didn't eat at Mr. Choi's for months but when we ate there last Saturday, I couldn't help but notice that the wantons in the wanton noodle soup contained fewer shrimps and came in smaller balls. Plus, the noodle soup is no longer the overwhelming portion it used to be.

When we also bought Becky's choco walnut brownies, you can't help but miss its chunkier version before.

Sigh.

I can't blame the sellers for price hikes since rice and flour and gas prices have all soared. But I sometimes wish that they'd just increase the price but not decrease the portions/ingredients... because am only left feeling bitin or shortchaged, so enjoyment over the same fares isn't got. But then, that's easy for me to say since I can afford these goodies (still) and i'm not the one who needs to sell them.

And yes, I am aghast that NFA rice (which, if we're going to be honest, leaves much to be desired as rice) costs around P28 now, when it used to be P18. And dinorado rice (the one we use) now sells at around P50. Pork sells at P170/kilo now too... so yes, imagine how the poor will survive.