20130526

四美元一碟炒龍蝦伊麵?

在《蘋果日報》看到李純恩《四蚊一碟龍蝦麵》一文,湊巧得很,在讀這篇文章的四、五小時前,我也在三藩市灣區的一間價錢一般的酒樓吃了一炒龍蝦伊麵;由於李文說的極之片面,我忍不住要寫幾句回應。

李純恩這樣說:

「前兩天跟陶傑吃飯,他剛去了一趟美國西岸,說美國現在開銷極是便宜,在洛杉磯唐餐館吃一碟炒龍蝦伊麵,只賣四塊美金。我聽了以為他說錯,追問,他說千真萬確,還出示拍的照片,果然一大碟。四塊美金只有三十多港幣,在倫敦吃一碟龍蝦麵,起碼付十倍的錢,兩下一比,美國開銷便宜得令人難以相信。」

美國的日常消費真的這麼便宜嗎?我吃的那碟炒龍蝦伊麵可不是四美元,而是十六美元!那不是一間豪華酒樓,只是中規中矩,那裏的點心和小菜價錢在灣區不算特平,但也絕對談不上貴。四美元一碟炒龍蝦伊麵,在美國不是沒有,不過,只有很少地方有(例如洛杉磯某些地區的唐餐館),這個價錢肯定不能代表美國的一般消費物價。

我在美國住了二十年,閒來愛旅遊,到過美國不少地方(至少十多個州,四、五十個大城小鎮),我對美國物價的判斷,應該比只憑四美元一碟炒龍蝦伊麵作判斷來得準確吧!這幾年我到過香港四、五次,在吃方面,總的印象是仍然是香港便宜一點,雖然距離已比十多二十年前拉近了很多。

那麼,陶傑在洛杉磯唐餐館吃到的那碟四美元炒龍蝦伊麵又該當如何解釋?香港也試過有「一蚊雞」,四美元一碟炒龍蝦伊麵應該只是招徠生意的噱頭,同一間餐館的一碟蒜蓉炒白菜,便隨時可能會貴過四美元。假如「四美元一碟炒龍蝦伊麵」反映了美國的日常消費,一碟蒜蓉炒白菜便應該不超過兩美元;到在美國吃一碟蒜蓉炒白菜只需一塊多美金時,我們才說「美國開銷便宜得令人難以相信」也還未遲

33 則留言:

  1. 噢!原來兄台旅美已有廿多年算是老華僑了


    三藩市灣區和Greater洛杉磯(羅省)是很大的 Area,
    個別小鎮的唐人餐館真的可以吃到平價的龍蝦炒麵伊底!

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    1. 對,我在文中也說有,但只是極少數地方有。

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    2. 三藩市灣區和 GLA(羅省)是很大的範圍,
      所以連埋油錢和時間就不只四塊美金嚕!

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  2. 英國在餐館吃也不是太貴啊。去唐餐館隨時十鎊有找,一般餐廳也是十來鎊左右。超巿的肉類也只比香港略貴一點,菜和生果有些甚至比香港更平,而且有更多organic food / free range chicken 等等的選擇。只可以說,香港的價錢真是越來越貴了,而且食物安全也開始令人擔心。

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    1. //香港的價錢真是越來越貴了,而且食物安全也開始令人擔心。//

      - 同意。

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  3. 龍蝦伊麵. Yummy!!
    //不能代表美國的一般消費物價// Agree. All my relatives living in 4 different states would agree too. I have lived in (not just visited) several states other than theirs.
    For 4 dollars I can't buy much at any restaurants. For 4 dollars, from any store, I can't bring home much food to cook. --zpdrmn

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  4. Music to share: (because Wong shares some old Cantonese songs)
    怎麼意思 (1981年電視劇《大昏迷》主題曲)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeFQ-nxzwnw

    Video to share: (funny or not)
    What kind of Asian are you?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWynJkN5HbQ
    --zpdrmn

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  5. 文人多大話, 揸筆搵食的專欄作者每每不盡不實, 以偏概全, 甚至信口開河, 對於陶傑及李純恩這類作者, 大家尤其需要留心.

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    1. Couldn't agree with you more!

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  6. But even US$16 dollar seems a bargain compared to HK...

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    1. Yes, but probably because lobsters are generally cheaper here.

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    1. 鬼記得麼!(記得碟龍蝦麵十六美元係因為咁啱問過老婆。)

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  8. 90年代初香港也試過有酒樓(冇記錯的話是漢寶)「一蚊斤大龍蝦」,兩個人飲飽食醉埋單才二百有找呢。

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  9. "那麼,陶傑在洛杉磯唐餐館吃到的那碟四美元炒龍蝦伊麵又該當如何解釋?"

    上年的美國龍蝦數是十年不遇的大豐收,的確有「4.99、5.99元一客龍蝦炒麵、龍蝦伊麵」,看:
    http://ny.worldjournal.com/pages/full_news/push?article-%E9%BE%8D%E8%9D%A6%E5%A4%A7%E8%B1%90%E6%94%B6+%E8%80%81%E9%A5%95%E6%9C%89%E7%A6%8F%E4%BA%86%20&id=19720382

    陶傑吃的會不會使上年賣剩的雪藏龍蝦?

    但你說得對,這也絕對不能反映美國的日常消費,我還是覺得美國日常消費大至上比香港貴,單是香港的上網費及手機費已恨死隔離,看:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/business/06digi.html
    http://www.hksilicon.com/kb/articles/7220/iPad-3G

    還有美國的醫療費用是出名黐線的貴。

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    1. Don't forget the sales tax. It could be 9%+, depending on where you are. I am paying 7% (my county, 3% for unprocessed food or the like) or 8% (some other county near mine). --zpdrmn

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    2. W.Wong & zpdrmn:

      4蚊一碟﹐唔會連埋銷售稅嘛﹖
      又﹐美國唔係仲要侷住比貼士咩﹖
      唐餐餐館唔洗比tips﹖

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    3. 4蚊價錢當然係未計稅,貼士係冇人監你俾嘅,除非超過一定人數(通常係 8人或以上便自動加 15% 貼士)。

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    4. Guys, that restaurant mentioned in Lee's piece might had been using that dish as a "Lost Leader" pricing scheme. Sort of similar to Walmart.

      I think Trader Joe's Two-Buck-Chuck could also be used as an indicator of a small sector of the local economy. Some very decent California wines are sold for less than $7. :D

      Afterall, using just one thing, from one outlet, in a single market, on one occasion, to make a macro observation and hold that as a true reflection of a dynamic economy, is worse than Crystal Ball gazing. XD

      -49er

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    5. 文少,
      as Wong said, //當然係未計稅//.

      In my area, I haven't seen //除非超過一定人數(通常係 8人或以上便自動加 15% 貼士)//, but I have seen it in some other cities. Some even just add the tips in, regardless the number of people.
      Around my place, restaurants don't require you to pay tips, except for some rare cases, like those I saw one or two times. However, most people give some tips, more or less.

      But I always bear this in mind: a big part of servers' income is from tips. Giving them too little is robbing them.

      For some reasons I had friends (not anymore now) working in Chinese restaurants for quite a number of years. Maybe I liked to talk to them and we became friends. There was a family from 福建. (I still have 2 chairs I bought from them. I didn't just buy food from them. LOL.) There was another family from 福建. There were some people from HK. Oh, there was a single mom (with an only daughter) from HK too. According to her, she once proposed to a guy and said 買一送一, referring to herself and her daughter. LoL.
      --zpdrmn

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    6. 49er,
      Lost leader pricing is a //招徠生意的噱頭//, using Wong's words. --zpdrmn

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    7. "4蚊價錢當然係未計稅,貼士係冇人監你俾嘅"

      話就係咁話,但除非你以後不去那餐廳,否則還是比貼士好。亦都有時會有侍應出門口追你攞貼士。

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    8. 「Lost leader pricing is a //招徠生意的噱頭//, using Wong's words. --zpdrmn」

      其實跟香港那些酒樓出一蚊雞類似﹐用割喉價賣一種產品
      搏你唔好意思單叫呢味餸
      你叫其他餸時賺你錢

      結論﹕李純恩是低能的﹐鑒定完畢。(閃)

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    9. zpdrmn﹕

      講真﹐美國套貼士制﹐完全接近是傭金自顧制
      不過香港加一仲開心
      聽講好多食肆收加一﹐錢係全袋入老細袋
      侍仔係一個崩都收唔到的。(真)

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    10. 文少,
      the servers have base wage but it can be lower than the minimum wage. Of course, if the tips don't make it up to the minimum, at least, no one will take the job.
      //侍仔係一個崩都收唔到// Will you say that it's fine if it's so written on the contract? (I guess it isn't on the contract though.)
      --zpdrmn

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    11. 匿名5/28/2013 5:37 上午,
      唔俾貼士:
      //除非你以後不去那餐廳,否則// some servers will spit in your food next time, or worse. (True!!)

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    12. my comment above. --zpdrmn

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    13. zpdrmn:
      我的意思是指美國那套制度﹐他們的tips﹐其實是佣金(commission)﹐因此你會覺得食飯要給貼士﹐屬一種不成文規定(De facto rule)。

      其實從字面上進路來說﹐service charge也不蘊含打賞的意思﹐合約根本無需列明service charge誰屬問題﹐反而有些食肆是會將加一收入當花紅派給員工﹐它們可能會在合約中有多少花紅的一欄上刻意列明。

      香港tips則不同﹐有些食肆會在合約索性規定不准收tips﹐如沒﹐tips分配基本上都是那班伙記自己立規矩怎分配。有些是客比你幾多你袋幾多﹐有些則是將大圍收到的tips再平分﹐香港很多高級酒店的慣例是後者。

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    14. 文少,
      We call it honor (honesty) system. --zpdrmn

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  10. Actually, I dont eat lobster e mein in restaurants. As I was told from someone who worked at restaurant, those are dead lobsters from the fish tank that had to be taken out.

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  11. Prof., sorry this is off topic. I just saw this and I want to forward this over to you. Enjoy~

    http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/05/27/186461168/watch-a-mind-blowing-visualization-of-the-rite-of-spring

    -49er

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  12. 檀香山這邊$4連超市的飯盒也幾乎買不到
    當然檀香山飲食丶物價偏貴
    但也很難相信$4一份龍蝦伊麵是代表西岸的價錢

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