(Not So) Secret Meals Of RV's School Canteen?

By Evangeline Yap (25J14)

The next time you visit the school canteen, don’t forget to look out for one of these posters plastered outside the various stalls. Economy meals are a part of the canteen no one really notices. Where do they come from ? When were they added ? Just how cheap are they? During my interviews with canteen vendors, they revealed more about this meal and just how they decided which items were to go onto the menu.

Picture of V-cuisine’s economy meal poster

For V-cuisine, Vegetarian Beehoon for $2.20 was designated as their economy meal around the end of 2024. The meal consists of beehoon  with 4 different types of vegetables. According to the stall uncle, the economy meals set must be affordable as well as filling. The stall chose this particular meal as they believed it to be the most filling for students within that specific price range. If they so wish, students can choose to add on other side dishes for an additional cost on top of the base price. 

Picture of Bon Appetite’s economy meal poster

For Bon Appetite, the vendors decided to choose their best seller as their economy meal. Since their chicken chop rice is popular amongst students, they inferred that the majority of the student body would enjoy it, hence choosing it to be their stall’s economy meal.

According to the vendors, the school decided to push out this initiative in order to provide support to students who  come from lower income families. However, they do not restrict what vendors are allowed to serve as long as the meal is deemed affordable, so different stalls may choose different types of food depending on their observations of the student body. 

Some store owners prioritise what would be the best for the students, taking into account the proportions of the ingredients, while others think it’s more important to cater to students' tastes. Either ways, all stalls try their best to minimise profit off these meals, and instead focus more on providing the students in need with a filling and tasty meal .

As for which stall sells the best food for its price,  it definitely still depends on everyone’s personal tastes (Although I’m sure most people will be thinking of the same stall) Whether you prefer a meal that keeps you full for the rest of the day, or a meal that sends your tastebuds into ecstasy for the remainder of your pitifully short lunch break, no one can deny that every stall in the canteen is someone’s favourite. Therefore, it is impossible to rank the meals fairly without basing it on my own personal tastes. But trying all the meals and ranking them can definitely be a fun thing to do with your friends or on your own. Do expect some bickering here and there though, as everyone quarrels over who deserves to be the first. Think your favorite stall is good enough to win the public’s heart (and stomach) ?