Is a pint a pint in Singapore?

[MobinSing]

I have ordered a pint in a couple of Singapore bars. The glass is clearly not a pint size (I should know - I have drunk a few!).

This would definitely not be allowed back home (UK) - in fact I think any pub doing this would get a very nasty reaction from the customers.

My question is whether this is generally accepted as OK over here (culturally) - and is it legal (are there no 'weights and meaesures' laws)?

The bar staff seem quite perplexed when I point out that they are selling less than a pint and seem to feign ignorance (and suddenly can't speak English very well).

Thanks for your comments...

[Strong Eagle]

Depends where you go. The bars in hotels often short you... as do a lot of the 'better' restaurants. The bars at Boat Quay, etc, and Chijmes all seem to serve a fair pint... which may actually be a half a liter.

The best deal is a big Tiger beer, bottle is 670 ml, for about $5.50 at most hawker centers.

[aster]

The one on the west corner of Circular Road has a 3 for $15 deal for those Tigers, that's cheaper than buying them at the supermarket.

Boat Quay often offers cheap jugs but you really have to watch out. The last time I ordered one it was severely watered down so in fact wasn't a deal at all.

[ScoobyDoes]

We actually had a lengthy discussion with the bar manager in Fobidden City at Clarke Quay nearly three years back on this very topic since it was clear my pint was a smaller pint than the Guiness on the other table.

In the end the manager was very honest, "look we're all in business and it's nothing personal."

I was forced to write a complaint to the owners:

"Whilst your price list is in Pints, the Carlsbergs at least were delivered in 400ml glasses and the Tetley possibly smaller. We did calculate the price on our bill compared to the price in the price list and whilst it was lower, it did not match the same $/ml value and was over charged by some 30% or so.

I’m sure you’ll have thousands of unsuspecting tourists to pay these prices without ever checking, possibly forgetting that 400ml is not actually a 568ml Pint in any Commonwealth state (or even 473ml of the US)."

In the end i got the reply as:

"The Carlsberg pint glasses in our bar are actually measured at 500ml to the brim. The 400ml marking on the glass is to indicate where the lager stops and the foam head begins. Nevertheless, we can assure you that immediate action will be taken on the Tetleys glassware with our supplier.

We deeply appreciate your feedback and we will take necessary action to review our prices and our glass measurements."

[Splatted]

I don't drink beer but I can thoroughly sympathise.

I bought a coffee milk shake from mcdonalds (repeat, shake.. not ice blend), got half way through my cup and found the rest of the cup half filled with ice cubes.

Who puts ice cubes in a thick shake which is already ice cold? Felt ripped off.

[nakatago]

have you tried ordering drinks from Kopitiam? 2.50 cents for ice and a few splashes of beverage.

[Splatted]

have you tried ordering drinks from Kopitiam? 2.50 cents for ice and a few splashes of beverage.

Yes, but at least you expect this from Kopitiam. I have had Mcdonalds in a few countries, and only in Singapore (so far that I have encountered) do they short change you with ice when you order thick shakes.

[nakatago]

fair enough.

in any case, I'm tempted at times to bring a graduated cylinder to see if the markings on those glasses are accurate.

[ksl]

A pdf booklet on weights & measures

http://www.spring.gov.sg/QualityStandar ... ooklet.pdf


Weights & Measure Act 349

http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/non_version/ ... t&method=p

[road.not.taken]

have you tried ordering drinks from Kopitiam? 2.50 cents for ice and a few splashes of beverage.

A pint refers very plainly to a unit of measurement. It either is, or it isn't.

[nakatago]

have you tried ordering drinks from Kopitiam? 2.50 cents for ice and a few splashes of beverage.

A pint refers very plainly to a unit of measurement. It either is, or it isn't.

was referring to splatted's experience of an ice-blended drink with ice cubes (yeah, it's a wtf moment). in any case, how much a pint is in singapore can even vary within the same bar.

i remember having gone out for drinks with some friends. we ordered different brands of beer but they are supposed to be pints. the glasses came in different shapes and had a hard time convincing myself they carried the same amount of liquid.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I think, you'll find that the term "let's go out and have a pint of lager" is more a generic term today (with the exception of the United Kingdom and some of it's commonwealth countries). It's now more like the colloquial 'let's down to the pub for a handle of draught" or "a mug of horse piss" or what ever term is being used. Therefore I don't think you will find that Singapore used the British "standard" at all.

[beppi]

Singapore is officially on metric scale and "pint" isn't a recognized amount, so the word could be used figuratively.
As another poster pointed out above, pint is also no standard elsewhere, as the UK and USA pints are substantially different from each other (what about other places' pints?).
If you order half a litre of beer and you get less than 500ml, you have reasons to complain, but with "pint" unfortunately not.

[aster]

No wonder people prefer bottled beer here...

Still, it can't possibly be legal to offer a pint and then serve a 400ml glass...

[sundaymorningstaple]

No wonder people prefer bottled beer here...

Still, it can't possibly be legal to offer a pint and then serve a 400ml glass...

So that must mean when you tell your secretary to go xerox documents, they ain't legal unless it done on a Xerox copier, huh.

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/xerox?view=uk

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Xerox