(Source: 123rf)
What started out as a casual makan outing quickly spiralled into an iconic showdown that Malaysians can’t stop talking about. Someone (original poster) took to Threads to share a sight he witnessed recently whilst at a restaurant.
From the outside, it looked like any other date at a local restaurant. A young couple seemed perfectly normal, chatting over their meals, until the boyfriend suddenly raised the stakes in a most unexpected way. In a voice that cut through the chatter, he yelled at the girl asking,
“How can you not help me pay for my food? If you can’t do this, you’re not fit to be my wife. Can’t even share hardship together.”
Without missing a beat she calmly stood up, left him at the table, and headed to the counter. She paid only for her own meal and, turning to the staff, left one unforgettable instruction:
“Whatever he ate, ask him to pay for himself.”
That line delivered the kind of punchline that would rewrite all the norms of who should pay on a date. From that moment on, the situation got even more theatrical. Her boyfriend was left in total panic mode. He began making frantic calls, presumably begging his friends to come bail him out financially.
Enter the unexpected hero: a kind pakcik stepped in and paid for the freeloader’s food. But the restaurant boss delivered the most savage kind of reality check.
“Every time you come here, there’s always a woman paying for you. Aren’t you embarrassed? If you don’t have a job, you can work here.”
Talk about awkward. Embarrassed, the boyfriend quickly left the restaurant, tail between his legs. The original poster ended his post with an advice to the girl,
“To the girl, if you ever come across this post, know that I support you. A man like that is not suitable to be husband. Despite being broke, he had the audacity to raise his voice at a woman in the middle of a restaurant. I support you. You did the right thing by only paying for yourself. I hope more women will be this smart. If you want to support him financially, wait until you’re married.”
Netizens flooded social media, many applauding the woman for setting boundaries and refusing to be taken for granted. The verdict was unanimous: he is “not husband material”.
“She’s so smart, why was I so stupid back then?
I went on a first date. We were supposed to go out to eat. He stopped by a convenience shop to buy cigarettes and asked me for RM10. I gave him the cash. Then after we finished eating and chatting, he suddenly said, ‘So, what are you waiting for? Go and pay’.
He treated me like a fool. Right after I got home, I cursed him.”
“She knew her worth and walked away. Salute! Even before getting married, he is so demanding.”
“Thank you for the story. Love a story that ends with a win. Regardless if it is a man or a woman, the one in the wrong will always lose. I like it.”
“Kudos to that girl. Don’t take care of a freeloader.”
“That guy is the one who is not husband material, yet he’s saying the girl isn’t fit to be a wife. What a useless man.”
“That woman is smart… if the restaurant owner could say that, it means all this while it was always women paying for him right? That day he finally met a smart woman.”
“That girl is really the best. To that boy, let me give you some advice, go find a job and earn your own money. Don’t think we women are here to feed you. I’m so disgusted seeing guys nowadays. They just want the easy way out but are so LAZY.”
This is the kind of story that reminds us that sometimes grill culture must include just as much heart as it does grill plates. And for anyone watching, it was a powerful reminder: respect in relationships isn’t optional. Pay up only if you’re contributing equally!