'I eat my employer's food leftovers even if it's a month old' — Maid says, but 'they still ask me why all the food finished so fast' - Singapore News

SINGAPORE: In a fiery post on the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid / Domestic Helper Facebook group, one seasoned helper pulled back the curtain on her employers’ baffling sense of generosity. Spoiler: There was none!

“I eat my employer’s food leftovers even if it’s a month old,” she wrote, revealing the level of frugality she endured. “But they still ask me why all the food finished so fast.”

Let that marinate for a moment. This helper wasn’t feasting on delicacies. She was finishing scraps — a month-old, cold, possibly fossilised scraps — and still got blamed for being a food thief.

“They both have the same attitude. Stingy, calculative…”

The helper then shared her experiences working for two different Singaporean families, whom she said are “not poor.” One lived in a 3-storey landed home. The other is in a condo in Orchard Road — not exactly giving off the usual HDB BTO vibes.

“They both have the same attitude. Stingy, calculative,” she revealed.

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And despite their postcode prestige and presumed pantry abundance, these employers behaved like they were rationing food during a zombie apocalypse.

But here’s where the helper’s quiet power shines: She stayed until the contract ended — twice. And when asked to renew, she declined with grace, saying:

“In my mind, I told her I had enough of you.”

No shouting. No drama. Just the quiet dignity of walking away from a situation that doesn’t value your humanity.

“Even for a tomato or what, she wants to know how many pieces I use or eat every day…”

The post was in response to another helper who shared her own food frustrations. She wrote:

“I don’t want to eat anymore because my boss is so calculative. Even for a tomato or what, she wants to know how many pieces I use or eat every day.”

So somewhere in Singapore, a tomato is more closely tracked than cryptocurrency. Employers apparently know how many were bought, how many were used, and probably how many seeds were left behind.

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It’s the kind of meticulousness that would make even a detective inspector weep.

All they wanted was just fresh food and fair treatment

What these stories expose is not poverty, but a power dynamic masquerading as control. When helpers are forced to eat spoiled food and still accused of gluttony, it’s not about budget. It’s about belittlement.

These women didn’t ask for expensive meals. All they wanted was just fresh food and fair treatment. Instead, they were served passive-aggression with a side of gaslighting.

And yet, they endured. Finished their contracts. Held their heads high. Because sometimes, the most dignified exit is the one where you silently say “no more” — and just quietly leave.

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