Kuripot (thrifty) is not a dirty word.

However, employers also have unfavourable comments about their domestic helper's disregard for thrift. Many DHs think that only the poor need to be thrifty. They think that the affluent are not thrifty. They behave as if "thrifty" is a dirty word! One employer was shocked when her new DH threw away 8 loaves of bread because they had "expired". If you do not keep your bread in a refrigerator, you would probably not want to eat it after a couple of days. But if you keep it in the fridge, the bread will remain fresh for a week or more. And, of course, if you keep it in the freezer, the bread will remain fresh for weeks!

If the typical Singaporean employer appears to be stingy, there is a reason for it. But at this point, I would like to point out the difference between "stingy" and "thrifty". To be stingy is to be unwilling to spend even when it is necessary to do so. Instead of paying 60 cents for a cup of coffee, the stingy person may go to the toilet and drink water from the tap. On the other hand, the thrifty person will not buy brocoli, say, when it is not in season and costs twice as much. Instead, she will spend the money on vegetables which are in season. A thrifty person will buy Chinese cabbage which costs a dollar a kilo instead of Japanese cabbage which costs 10 times as much! Perhaps one would not like to be described as stingy, but to be thrifty is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, wise men advise "Waste not, want not".

I think the typical Singaporean is not stingy. The older generation may appear stingy to someone who does not know the history of Singapore. You see, not all Singaporeans are affluent and even those who appear affluent grew up poor. Many Singaporeans, who hold managerial positions and take home a large pay packet, were poor when they were young. They remember the time, not so long ago, when their mother had to go from house to house to do the laundry for her neighbours in order to supplement their father's small income.

Less than 50 years ago, before Singapore became independent, many people lived in nipah huts. The rate of unemployment was high and people had to accept low paying jobs or perform services like driving a car for someone more affluent, or be domestic helpers. Some collect used bottles and other scrap or discards to sell to a recycling company.

But when the government succeeded in persuading the multinational corporations to build factories in Singapore, almost overnight, unemployment disappeared. Then the economy improved and incomes rose. The family which ate chicken only on festive occasions was able to eat chicken and fish and meat as often as they liked.

But people who have had to squeeze their belts all their lives are naturally thrifty. If, for generations a people have been poor, thrift becomes second nature. Before modern Singapore was founded in 1819, historians described it as an island with only 150 people on it, mostly pirates. After that Singapore, under British rule, grew and prospered. To cut a long story short, in a short time Singapore became a magnet for people from the southern provinces of China, more than from other neighbouring countries. Those who came did so because they found life in China so hard. They were willing to leave home to find their fortune in Singapore. Some made huge fortunes but many remained poor, a little better off than when they were in home country, but still poor.

Today most Singaporeans do not consider themselves poor, but have experienced poverty and see thrift as a virtue. Only the very very young, those who have never experienced poverty, do not know the meaning of thrift, unlike their elders. They, the older generation, generally do not regard highly their DH who goes about by taxi when the MRT and bus are good enough for them. (Not all Singaporeans have their own car.) They will will not appreciate their DH who buys Japanese cabbage instead of cabbage from China.

Years ago, when I was riding a bus on my way to Baguio City, I chatted with the gentleman who was very friendly and acted like a tourist guide, explaining to me what was not so obvious. For example, he pointed to a farmer in the distance and said to me: "Do not look down on that poor farmer. He is working so hard, but his children are probably studying to become doctors or engineers in Manila." Yes, the farmer was probably kuripot, but his children would be affluent. Compare this with the happy-go-lucky free-spending kababayan who is enjoying himself with a San Miguel in one hand and a fighting cock in another.