How come we have to shove things that tourists obviously will hate down their throats?
I can tell you sure fire winners for dishes they love.
As for the Japs,they've always loved chinese food and roti canai.
Those from China are problematic,cos their foods are so tasteless and ours are too overflavoured for their liking.Their cousins from Hongkong are much better in terms that they really appreciate Malaysian food and we truly underestimate them,since they like to brag to the whole world in regards to their experience haing tasted our cuisine first hand here.
The Arabs head to Mc Donalds and KFC cos they don't trust our mamaks.
The Indons avoid our cuisine,stick to their own kind even if they are ethnic chinese,would rather eat Mi Sedaap in the confines of their hotel room than get adventurous here.
So?Besides Singaporeans that will overorder and bulldoze their way like eating machines,that makes westerners guinea pigs right? Oh blimey.
Am featuring a letter to the editor of The Star with regards to our tourism minister's decision to promote rendang,briyani and char koay teow.
I couldn't agree more with the writer that by taking on nasi briyani,we might end up slighting India.And yes,I do too agree that honestly,tourists have tasted better elsewhere since we have more awful versions of this dish than needed.South Indians simply CANNOT cook this dish.
It's the same case scenario as trying to find authentic Roti Boom( a creation of some enterprising Malay roti canai makers) in Penang (you did know the best is in Ampang near the International School didn't you?).One is doomed to end up facing dissapointment.
Coming to CKT,do we intend to turn them off or what? But then again,if you have been to Camden market in London and the appalling sight of what I call fake" Malaysian noodles"as well as "Singapore noodles" are marketed side by side to unsuspecting Brits,I shrug my shoulders and say what the hell.
What the hell,if they can't take the oil,nor the lard.
No wait....it's gotta be Halal right?That means we will practically be marketing the Malay version of CKT.
Now look,that's perfectly fine,but honestly,I can tell you,doesn't matter if it is the chinese version or malay one, the Angmoh's hate our oils.Their stomachs simply cannot take it.The oil is present in the noodle.You cannot take the oil out of koay teow or it will stick to the wok and be destroyed.
Imagine the publicity a mass low sai case would do for the country.
Throw a stone in Georgetown and it will instantly land on another perplexed,nose upturned tourist wrestling with our dishes(murtabak,mee goreng,ckt,I've seen it all),every now and then lifting it up for closer inspection like it were a soiled diaper.
Epic!
Finally rendang.Big problemo! Just which rendang version are they gonna settle on? Rendang Tok that keeps well but is terribly sweet and dry?
Wiki this one and I can turn fortune teller.The Indons are NOT gonna be pleased that we are about to hijack them again.
Also since the Minangkabau version in my opinion ,made from BUFFALO meat,is best,thus bound to be compromised and substituted by other meats,it simply means that what we're marketing won't be authentic but considered ciplak(photocopy) won't it?
Read on..............
------------------------------------------------------
Easier to "sell " satay than rendang
I CAN understand why char koay teow has been chosen as one the three so called iconic dishes to be promoted by the Tourism Ministry (“Three on top of the food chain” – The Star, Sept 23). But why nasi briyani and rendang?
Someone told me the best briyani is in Hydrabad, India (hopefully the Indians in India won’t accuse us of stealing their dish). Don’t tell me there is not a single truly Malaysian Indian dish to choose from.
If I’m not mistaken the great roti canai was the creation of a local genius. But still, briyani is not too bad a choice compared with rendang.
Granted that rendang is fantastic and is the favourite of many, but one does not eat rendang by itself. The foreigner can order char koay teow or briyani, and immediately consume it. But with rendang, one would at least
need a lemang to go with it.
And for most Malays, even rendang with a plate of rice is not complete; you need a gulai, a vegetable, and maybe a sambal before you can start eating.
Imagine, if a foreigner ordered only rendang, what would the waiter/waitress do? Serve him/her just a plate of rendang?
Why not choose the very famous satay. It is already a “brand”. It is easier to sell a “brand” than a new product, especially if the new product needs something else to accompany
KMD
Klang
I can tell you sure fire winners for dishes they love.
- Penang rojak without the sauce (yea depressing)
- Banana apom
- Coconut water
- And our raw fruits like jackfruit (they find this fascinating,its the name that is appealing)
- Satay ( actually this was already promoted worldwide by the indons )
As for the Japs,they've always loved chinese food and roti canai.
Those from China are problematic,cos their foods are so tasteless and ours are too overflavoured for their liking.Their cousins from Hongkong are much better in terms that they really appreciate Malaysian food and we truly underestimate them,since they like to brag to the whole world in regards to their experience haing tasted our cuisine first hand here.
The Arabs head to Mc Donalds and KFC cos they don't trust our mamaks.
The Indons avoid our cuisine,stick to their own kind even if they are ethnic chinese,would rather eat Mi Sedaap in the confines of their hotel room than get adventurous here.
So?Besides Singaporeans that will overorder and bulldoze their way like eating machines,that makes westerners guinea pigs right? Oh blimey.
Am featuring a letter to the editor of The Star with regards to our tourism minister's decision to promote rendang,briyani and char koay teow.
I couldn't agree more with the writer that by taking on nasi briyani,we might end up slighting India.And yes,I do too agree that honestly,tourists have tasted better elsewhere since we have more awful versions of this dish than needed.South Indians simply CANNOT cook this dish.
It's the same case scenario as trying to find authentic Roti Boom( a creation of some enterprising Malay roti canai makers) in Penang (you did know the best is in Ampang near the International School didn't you?).One is doomed to end up facing dissapointment.
Coming to CKT,do we intend to turn them off or what? But then again,if you have been to Camden market in London and the appalling sight of what I call fake" Malaysian noodles"as well as "Singapore noodles" are marketed side by side to unsuspecting Brits,I shrug my shoulders and say what the hell.
What the hell,if they can't take the oil,nor the lard.
No wait....it's gotta be Halal right?That means we will practically be marketing the Malay version of CKT.
Now look,that's perfectly fine,but honestly,I can tell you,doesn't matter if it is the chinese version or malay one, the Angmoh's hate our oils.Their stomachs simply cannot take it.The oil is present in the noodle.You cannot take the oil out of koay teow or it will stick to the wok and be destroyed.
Imagine the publicity a mass low sai case would do for the country.
Throw a stone in Georgetown and it will instantly land on another perplexed,nose upturned tourist wrestling with our dishes(murtabak,mee goreng,ckt,I've seen it all),every now and then lifting it up for closer inspection like it were a soiled diaper.
Epic!
Finally rendang.Big problemo! Just which rendang version are they gonna settle on? Rendang Tok that keeps well but is terribly sweet and dry?
Wiki this one and I can turn fortune teller.The Indons are NOT gonna be pleased that we are about to hijack them again.
Also since the Minangkabau version in my opinion ,made from BUFFALO meat,is best,thus bound to be compromised and substituted by other meats,it simply means that what we're marketing won't be authentic but considered ciplak(photocopy) won't it?
Read on..............
------------------------------------------------------
Easier to "sell " satay than rendang
I CAN understand why char koay teow has been chosen as one the three so called iconic dishes to be promoted by the Tourism Ministry (“Three on top of the food chain” – The Star, Sept 23). But why nasi briyani and rendang?
Someone told me the best briyani is in Hydrabad, India (hopefully the Indians in India won’t accuse us of stealing their dish). Don’t tell me there is not a single truly Malaysian Indian dish to choose from.
If I’m not mistaken the great roti canai was the creation of a local genius. But still, briyani is not too bad a choice compared with rendang.
Granted that rendang is fantastic and is the favourite of many, but one does not eat rendang by itself. The foreigner can order char koay teow or briyani, and immediately consume it. But with rendang, one would at least
need a lemang to go with it.
And for most Malays, even rendang with a plate of rice is not complete; you need a gulai, a vegetable, and maybe a sambal before you can start eating.
Imagine, if a foreigner ordered only rendang, what would the waiter/waitress do? Serve him/her just a plate of rendang?
Why not choose the very famous satay. It is already a “brand”. It is easier to sell a “brand” than a new product, especially if the new product needs something else to accompany
KMD
Klang
