The Price of Unbridled Capitalism

For the sake of this article, I had bought this pack of 4 traditional moon cake for RM9.  I bought it at a roadside stall operated by a woman at the location next to Wangsa Maju LRT for at least the last 10 years.  While I paid for the moon cake with a piece of RM10 note, my mind was distracted, thinking how I should write begin this article on capitalism and human greed.  The trader took note of my distraction, and did not return my change, claiming she had returned it to me.

This unassuming pack of moon cake caused me to be cheated of RM1.

Being Cheated

So for the sake of an article, I was cheated of RM1.  Not willing to argue for the sake of just RM1, I left the place, with the pack of moon cake. Had she been truthful, I would have said to her to keep the change.  Anyway, I would not be buying from her anymore.

But allow me to get back to the main issue. 

Humble Background of Moon Cake

The humble traditional moon cake had a very unassuming background.  When the Han Chinese were subjugated by foreign rule, they had no way to fight against the much stronger foreign occupiers (I'm not sure was it the Mongols or Manchu, only knowing the anecdotal story behind the moon cake). 

To coordinate a rebellion was not easy, as the enemy had spies every where and had monitored communications.  Letters had to be opened for them to check.  Hence, some of the rebels came up with an idea to prepare a delicacy with intricate designs.

The occupying force could not see any threat from an intricately designed cake, so they had allowed the bakeries to continue baking the cakes. The rebels would then send the cakes to each other, purportedly as gifts.  But once the rebels received the cakes, they cut the cakes to smaller pieces and rearranging the cakes to find the hidden message.  A rebellion was launched and fought using cryptograph hidden on a cake.  Imagine that?

These days, we do not need to send cakes to each other to hide hidden messages.  We have social media for this.  Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarrak fell with the help of Twitter.

East Asian Value and Business Fad

And we do not need moon cake to live.  It is not a sustenance.  However, tradition had dictate that moon cake would find its place as a gift to business partners. 

As Asians value the face of their business partners, price of moon cake had skyrocketed tremendously. Businesses cashed in into the fad, producing moon cakes of different types and kinds, each pricier than the other.

For example, these 2 moon cakes here cost RM15 each, just because of the salted egg yolk in the middle. 

Buying the Moon Cake or the Box?

The pricier the moon cake doesn't mean it taste better.  Many of these moon cakes are pricier today because they come with intricately designed boxes. 

Made By Hilton Hotel, these moon cake are around 20% smaller in size, but cost at least RM35 per piece.

Businesses jumping into the fad.

Beautifully designed boxes - are we buying the boxes or are we buying the cakes?

Bandwagon

As demand for these pricier moon cakes increased, more and more businesses are jumping into the bandwagon.  Businesses began to focus solely into making these pricier moon cakes as the profit margin are higher.  Thus, pricing this traditional Chinese delicacy away from the less well-to-do consumers. 

Pricing Out

With this unbridled capitalism, would it be one day in the future, a moon cake would cost a month's of minimum wage pay?  By then, the RM1 cheated from me by the small-time roadside trader would be dwarfed by the hundreds to that artificial supply and demand of luxury moon cake.