A Malaysian father was left surprised after seeing the tiny packet of fried noodles his child bought for RM1 after school.
Sharing the experience on Threads, the father posted photos showing a small plastic packet of mi goreng with a tiny green two pronged utensil tucked inside.
The post has since gained widespread attention, recording more than 550,000 views at the time of writing.
Child bought tiny packet for RM1
According to the father, his child bought the noodles while heading home from school.
“My child bought this on the way home from school. This was RM1,” he wrote.
He jokingly said that plastic packed mi goreng had “evolved” over the years, becoming smaller while now coming with its own tiny utensil.
He also reminisced about how children used to eat noodles packed in plastic bags by biting a small hole at the bottom before eating directly from the packet.
After several netizens questioned whether the noodles really cost RM1, the father decided to double check with his child.
He said his child confirmed that the packet was indeed sold for RM1 and had not eaten any of the noodles before getting into the car.
“I asked again whether the child had already eaten some before entering the car. The answer was no. The child only started eating after getting into the car,” he explained.
Bought from grocery shop near school
The father later clarified that the noodles were not purchased from the school canteen.
Instead, they were sold at a grocery shop located underneath a flat next to the school.
He explained that some students would go there because they did not need to cross a road to reach the shop.
When one netizen suggested lodging a complaint against the seller, the father said he would rather tell his child not to buy it again.
“I’ve already told my child not to buy it anymore. We can only control what we can,” he wrote.
Netizens divided over the RM1 portion
The small portion quickly sparked discussion among netizens, with many saying it appeared too little even for RM1.
One commenter said the noodles looked like plain instant noodles fried with only onions and soy sauce.
Another questioned whether selling such a small amount to schoolchildren was reasonable.
The father agreed that the portion appeared small, adding that even if the amount was doubled or tripled, it would still look limited.
Another commenter estimated that one packet of instant noodles could potentially be divided into more than 10 portions of that size.
However, not everyone criticised the seller.
Some netizens pointed out that the cost of running a business goes beyond the price of the noodles alone, with labour, utilities, cooking oil, fuel and equipment also contributing to expenses.
One commenter said it was simply part of doing business and that people should consider the seller’s hidden operating costs before judging the price.
Dad says post was actually about nostalgia, not the RM1 portion
Speaking exclusively to WeirdKaya, the father revealed that the incident took place outside a primary school in Kuala Lumpur.
His child, who is currently in Year 4, had bought the noodles while waiting to be picked up after school.
Interestingly, the father said he was not actually surprised by either the RM1 price or the portion.
“I’m not really familiar with how much snacks cost nowadays. As long as it’s within the school pocket money, I think it’s fine,” he said.
What caught his attention instead was the way the noodles were packed.
“I just wanted to highlight that this style of noodles in a plastic packet still exists because we already had this back in our days,” he told WeirdKaya.
He recalled that back then, the noodles did not come with a small utensil. Children would simply bite a hole at the bottom of the plastic packet and slowly eat the noodles through it.
“I didn’t expect netizens to complain about the RM1 price,” he added.
Child found the portion sufficient
The father also told WeirdKaya that his child had no complaints about the noodles.
According to him, it tasted similar to regular instant fried noodles, while the portion was enough for his child as it was never meant to be a full lunch.
“It was just something to eat while waiting for us to pick them up and also a way to finish the remaining school pocket money,” he said jokingly.
He also clarified that the noodles were not sold within the school compound.
Instead, they were purchased from a grocery shop located on the ground floor of an apartment building next to the school, around a 50 metre walk from the entrance.
He said the school controls its own compound and does not allow outside vendors to sell there. Students who buy from the grocery shop would leave the school area and walk over to the nearby apartment themselves.
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