SINGAPORE: When it comes to mealtime, most people might take for granted the luxury of flavour — a spoonful of curry here, a splash of sambal there. But for one domestic helper in Singapore, even a whiff of flavour was considered too extravagant.
In a post on the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid / Domestic Helper Facebook group, a domestic helper recounted her jaw-dropping experience with a former employer who apparently believed that chapati should be eaten dry. No curry, no sambal, no dhal — not even a dip of some kind of sauce at least.
“She even asked me to eat chapati but with no curry, no sambal, no anything… my body lost so much weight,” the helper lamented.
Chapati, a flatbread popular in Indian cuisine, is traditionally served with flavourful accompaniments. Eating it plain is just like serving rice with no side dish — dry, flat, joyless, and nutritionally questionable.
The helper described her ex-employer as “stingy” and revealed that her health started to decline due to the spartan meals.
“If I still stayed there, it would be of no use to my health,” she added, noting that she eventually chose to leave.
Her comments were posted in solidarity with another helper who complained about her own “calculative” boss.
“Even for a tomato or what, she wants to know how many pieces I use or eat every day,” the second maid had written, who added that this was the case even when “She knows how many pieces I buy, and she knows how many pieces I use/eat every day.”
Apparently, this employer is a human calculator who could moonlight as a produce auditor — complete with daily inventory checks, as “She always asks me why all the food items finish so fast.”
While some employers believe in watching the household budget, others seem to monitor it with military precision, tracking vegetables like high-value assets.
Thankfully, the chapati-loving (but condiment-deprived) helper has since moved on to greener pastures — or in this case, tastier kitchens.
“Now I have a good employer. They also like Indonesian food, so it’s easy for me to cook for them and for me to eat properly.”
Her story, while laced with a little humour, shines a light on the reality many domestic helpers face behind closed doors — where employers’ attitudes toward food become a daily measure of dignity, health, and even mental well-being.
Note to employers: Flavour isn’t a luxury; it’s a basic joy of life. And if your maid is getting thinner than your budget, maybe it’s time to reconsider what you’re serving.
