LOL I remember you told me this issue so many years ago, now only bring up!

Too late... yong tau foo, chicken rice, prawn mee, chili crabs, satay, char kuey teow... all kena hijacked liau


http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/17/nation/4734354&sec=nation


Thursday September 17, 2009
Laksa and nasi lemak among our pride, says Yen Yen
By TEH ENG HOCK


KUALA LUMPUR: Laksa, nasi lemak and bak kut teh — these are some of the food Malaysia will lay claim to.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said there were many dishes synonymous with Malaysia’s identity but they had been “hijacked” by other countries.

“We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chilli crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food,” she told reporters after launching the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival yesterday.

The festival, which runs throughout October, is part of the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia campaign. Novem-ber’s part of the campaign will centre around shopping mall food, while street and heritage food will be the highlight in December.

“In the three months, we will identify certain key dishes (to declare as Malaysian). We have identified laksa ... all types of laksa, nasi lemak and bak kut teh,” she said.

When asked how the ministry would go about labelling the dishes Malaysian after identifying them, Dr Ng said she would reveal her strategy at a later stage.

“That is Part Two. We cannot reveal it yet, but we will let you know soon,” she said.

On another matter, Dr Ng said tourist arrivals in August increased by 10.4% to 2,030,337 compared to the corresponding period last year.

For the first eight months of the year, arrivals went up by 4.4% to 14,730,437 compared to the corresponding period last year.

Dr Ng said arrivals from China increased by 14.8% in August, while arrivals from Australia and Britain increased by 26.6% and 16.5% respectively.

Double-digit growth was also recorded for arrivals of tourists from more than 20 countries, including Poland (59.9%), Italy (49.7%) and Iran (40.4%).

To further boost tourism, Dr Ng said 500 guides were undergoing a three-month foreign language course.

“They are being trained in Russian, Arabic, South Korean, Japanese and French. It is a scholarship. Right now, we only have two Russian-speaking guides. That is not enough,” she said.

This matter, so heartfelt to many members of the forum, may have been better raised after Raya and not before. Nanti ada orang kena batal puasa sebab terasa marah baca ni. In the very least, someone might well suggest awarding a garland of kitchen clogs (siap dengan jelingan maut) to the YAB Datuk Seri (Dr) for her ground-breaking insight/discovery and revolutionary tourism plan. Part three must be forming a high-powered cabinet task force to identify the best examples of these Malaysian dishes. Someone please save her the time and forward her a copy of the Fried Chilies Awards list.

My fellow passionate Malaysian foodies, it's better to be late than too late. In this case, as long as there are passionate Malaysian foodies who are willing to spend time and effort to get this message across, we can get them back. We can get them all back.

Must be in response to the Indonesia debacle.

Teh Beng : I can't help but to compare both the Indonesian response and Malaysian response to situations that I think are similar. When Discovery potrayed the Balinese Dancer and called it Malaysian (it was Discovery's fault not Malaysian Tourism), the response from the Indonesian was almost immediate.

In our case, the "other" country has been stealing our food for years! we first wrote about it in our Foodsters Guide, when Anthony Bourdain claimed that Yong Tau Foo was Singaporean. That was in 2005! Now is 2009.

Anyway, for the benefit of viewers who are now probably asking what on earth all this is talk is all about, I am linking >here< one of the many discussion threads sharing my frustration on this "other country stealing our food" issue. Your thoughts and comments are welcomed, always....

Good point, Adly. If our astute tourism minister decides to put satay on the list, the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta will probably end up under siege.

In all fairness, there has to be a certain acknowledgement that many of our favourite dishes are common to the region and have been enjoyed throughout the region longer than any of the countries involved have even existed. On that level, it can seem like arguing the culinary boarders between American and Canadian cuisine. Or may be its more like that international law suit Lebanon wanted to file against Israel last year for stealing the falafel.

I have to say my frustrations have always been more home-based than with the "other country". We seem to have a knack of getting international media coverage for all the wrong reasons and do precious little to get known for the right reasons. Im clearly not referring to the great and selfless efforts of the esteemed creators of this website and forum but to those others who are paid with our tax dollars to do the job. Consider the story in the thread Adly linked. While the Singapore Tourism Ministry was effectively helping to raise Singapore's already formidable international profile, can any one tell me what exactly our Tourism Ministry was up to last year? Remember the "Jalan Alor" fiasco? If not for the recent push to clear the backlog in the various ministries in compliances with the new "KPIs", I wonder how much longer it would have taken before news of this "hijacking" even entered their radar. To paraphrase Shakespear: "The fault, dear foodies, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." We clearly cannot leave matters to the powers that be and must take direct efforts raise the spread the good word when ever possible. It can be as simple as posting about Malaysian food in your favourite foreign food forum or chatting about it on facebook. Just get the word out.

The heat is up. It looks like the Singaporeans are ready to defend the street food that they stole from us and claim as theirs. Are the Malaysians prepared to walk their talk then? Should be an interesting few months for us all! Bring it ON!

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/23/nation/4762147&sec=nation

Wednesday September 23, 2009
Netizens argue over origin of dishes after M’sia plans to stake claim
By TEH ENG HOCK

PETALING JAYA: A “food fight” is brewing, especially in cyberspace, following Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen’s statement of Malaysia’s intention to lay claim to several dishes.

The story has been widely picked up by news portals, online forums and blogs worldwide after Dr Ng said that nasi lemak, laksa, bak kut teh, chilli crab and Hainanese chicken rice are Malaysian.

Catherine Deshayes, who is from Britain’s TheMoveChannel.com, said it would be interesting to see how Malaysia would go about branding these famous dishes.

“The country is set on ensuring that visitors are aware that these dishes originated in Malaysia although they are popular all over the world.

“Variations of the dishes listed are available in several other Asian nations, particularly Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and China,” she wrote.

Dr Ng’s statement did not go down well with some Netizens in the region, especially Singaporeans, who had come to consider Hainanese chicken rice and chilli crab their own.

The more diplomatic ones shrugged it off as “a promotional exercise” but not everyone was as kind.

“She might as well claim that steamed white rice is also Malay-sian,” said a reader on Singapore’s Straits Times online discussion board.

Another post read: “Laksa, nasi lemak, Hainanese chicken rice, chilli crab and bak kut teh – how many Malaysian outlets’ food is as tasty as the ones found in any food court here? Come and taste the originals by Singaporeans”.

“Countries of origin? Just cook and eat to your hearts’ content. It is how it is cooked and what makes tourists keep coming back to them that matters!” said another respondent on the forum.

Singaporean blogger TheBrother-hood questioned how Malaysia would make their claim on the dishes official.

“The principle of food sovereignty would be hilarious, if only it wasn’t taken so seriously. Tell me is chilli crab Malaysian or Singaporean? What about laksa, is it ours or theirs? Are we going to the Hague (International Court of Justice)?” he asked.

However, Malaysians are not taking the blows lying down and have hit back.

“Yes, Hainan is one of China’s provinces but I think my grandfather told me it was a recipe created by the Hainanese from Malaysia,” said a respondent on The Star’s Citizen blog.

N.K. Khoo, a Malaysian blogger from Ledang, Johor said: “Bak kut teh is truly a Malaysian dish, which originated from Klang. Singapore is hijacking it from Malaysia and claiming bak kut teh as theirs”.

It would seem that everyone is chiming in with their views on the matter.

http://www.makansutra.com/reviews/2009_0922/index.html


http://www.mysinchew.com/node/29469

I wonder when "Part Two" of the Minister's plan will kick in.

EDIT: Posted too soon:

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=441965

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/23/nation/20090923170416&sec=nation

Check out the list of 100 items identified:

http://www.warisan.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=165

Im glad Penang char kway teow made the list but so did mooncakes...and air kelapa. And yes...Satay. I expect renewed batek wars over that. I also cant help but suspect that some of the items in the last 10 items on the 100 strong list were added somewhat belatedly and clumsily to to stave off criticism.

This is The Star's video report on the Dr. Yen Yen's response to the Malaysian food heritage issue.
http://thestaronline.tv/default.aspx?vid=4214

Thanks for the video report, Adly. I find it amusing that the reporter barely allowed the Minister's voice to be heared before interupting to explain what the Minister was saying even though she was speaking in flawless english. Was her complete response so rambling or unintelligible that it could not be reproduced in toto? At least this way, theres a good reason for her to later claim that she was misquoted.

As a demonstration on how aggressive and well coordinated the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is, heres a semi-blog that KF Seetoh wrote on his experience being on the Martha Steward show in May 2009.

http://www.makansutra.com/forums/singapore/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16795&start=15
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_376282.html

According to him, International Enterprise (the Singapore equivalent of the Malaysian MATRADE) together with the STB has been pitching this to Martha for over a year! And finally when they had a chance, Seetoh cooked Singapore Laksa on the show. Can you fault him? I really admire their commitment and marketing strategy. IF we keep quiet and not say anything, then its our fault lah. This is business.

But, we may have a one up. I heard that Chef Wan is to appear on the Oprah show.

I hope Malaysian foodies will consider the effort the amount of time and effort that went into just getting a ten minute or so spot on that prime time show and compare it with the time and effort that obviously went into that coming up with the 100 strong "warisan tidak ketara makanan" list (reproduced below) and the Minister's remarks that have caused more contoversy than acclaim. The difference is night and day.

Still, I agree with the silver lining of Chef Wan appearing on Oprah:

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090907-166131.html

EDIT: 26 September 2009- Now it seems the Penang Indian-Muslim community is unhappy that nasi kandar and pasembur are not included in the list.

1.Nasi Lemak 35. Gulai Asam Rom 68. Kuih Cara
2. Nasi Ayam 36. Kari Kepala Ikan 69. Kuih Bingka
3. Nasi Kunyit (Pulut Kuning) 37. Kurma Daging/Ayam 70. Kuih Bakul
4. Nasi Tumpang 38. Pajeri 71. Kuih Bulan
5. Nasi Kerabu 39. Masak Ikan dan Pisang Dalam Buluh 72. Kuih Cincin
6. Nasi Dagang 40. Yong Tau Foo 73. Kuih Bakar
7. Nasi Himpit 41. Daging Dendeng 74. Kuih Sepit
8. Nasi Goreng Kampung 42. Ayam Panggang 75. Apam Balik
9. Nasi Ulam 43. Botok-Botok Ikan 76. Pisang Goreng
10. Ketupat 44. Sambal Tumis 77. Keropok
11. Lemang 45. Chili Crab 78. Opok-Opok
12. Pulut Kukus Periuk Kera 46. Teh Tarik 79. Karipap
13. Mee Mamak 47. Cendol 80. Buah Melaka @ Ondeh-Ondeh
14. Laksa 48. Air Batu Campur (ABC) 81. Lempeng
15. Mee Kari 49. Air Kelapa 82. Bahulu
16. Char Kuay Teow Pulau Pinang 50. Air Selasih 83. Dodol
17. Laksa Johor 51. Hinava/Umai 84. Lempuk Durian
18. Mee Siam 52. Pekasam 85. Wajik
19. Bubur Pedas Sarawak 53. Tempoyak 86. Seri Kaya
20. Bubur As-Sura 54. Otak-Otak 87. Halwa
21. Bubur Sum-Sum 55. Sambal Belacan 88. Agar-Agar
22. Bubur Kacang Hijau 56. Cencaluk 89. Pulut Panggang
23. Sagu Gula Melaka 57. Sambal Gesek Ikan Bilis 90. Tapai
24. Kuih Bingka Ubi 58. Sate @ Satay 91. Masalodeh
25. Rendang 59. Yee Sang 92. Putu Mayam
26. Serunding 60. Sata 93. Maruku
27. Ayam Percik 61. Telur Pindang 94. Roti Jala
28. Manok Pansoh 62. Kerabu Mangga Muda 95. Roti Canai
29. Masak Asam Pedas 63. Acar 96. Tosai
30. Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin 64. Kuih Keria 97. Penderam
31. Ikan Bakar 65. Kuih Koci 98. Kuih Lopis
32. Ikan Panggang Tanah Liat 66. Akok 99. Laddu
33. Gulai Lemak Umbut 67. Kuih Seri Muka 100. Ubi Kayu
34. Gulai Lemak Cili Padi

We now have Penang Laksa joining the 'not invited' list. I am seriously thinking about making our own Warisan 100 list.


http://www.warisan.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=165

I think that would be a great idea, Adly! Its time that people who are actually passionate about our local food took over and rescued this debacle.

Id deeply appreciate if all fellow foodies out there especially gave thought of the indian dishes or foods that would belong on the list. I mean apart from indian-muslim dishes which I think will be well represented in any credible list of Malaysian foods. Preferably foods and dishes that contain local elements or ingredients that give those dishes characteristics unique to our region even if the original version came from somewhere else (which accounts for many of the chinese dishes claimed by both Malaysians and Singaporians). I think fish head curry may be a contender but Im not sure. I certainly hope we can do better than "tosai" and "maruku".

Sorry to bump this but firmed up any plans on the Foodster's Malaysian Food List? I guess the tough bit would be to set up firm criterias.

Maybe the first step would be to just compile a list first of what you want to see as Malaysian heritage?

I take it that you mean to list the criteria by which you would objectively indentify the cuisine as uniquely Malaysian? That may be as difficult as describing an elephant. Its easy enough to know one when you see one but listing the parameters can be somewhat more challenging.

One component is ouright heritage. Peranakan cuisine is a creation of its own unique inter-mingled racial and cultural heritage. To my mind, its the gastromonical equivalent of a marsupial. No one in their right mind is going to confuse the cuisine with anything else. In a sense, the inter mingling of cultures that gives rise to peranakan cuisine best epitomises and identifies the nature of our food from others. Its the nuances derived from this inter mingling of races and cultures that separates our Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes from the original cuisines.

One clear example is the use of chillies as a condiment. Yes, a lot of countries in the region use chilies but not the way that we do. Wantan noodles without pickled green chillies, chicken rice without a fresh chili sauce or fried hokkien mee without sambal belachan would are heresies here that would be perfectly acceptable elsewhere.

The use of spices and ingredients in dishes is also different in Malaysia than in many neigbouring countries although I find it more difficult to spell out the differences. You wouldnt confuse nasi campur with nasi padang but how would you describe the difference? Mamak cuisine also qualifies but I would try as much as possible to exclude foods also readily found on the Indian subcontinent- there should be a local twist. It would certainly include my beloved mee rebus.

Perhaps a way to go about it is to list out in four separate categories what we think of as the favourite Malay, Chinese, Indian (including mamak) and peranakan foods enjoyed by most Malaysians. A separate "Ramli Burger" component may be needed for foods that defy the admittedly over-simplified racial classification (which is suggested ONLY for coherent methodology and ease of perusal, ya? We are still 1 Malaysia and all that.) From the onset, it must be accepted that there will be some overlap with Singapore dishes. Perhaps more so than any other country in the region simply because of our shared peculiar multi racial history and heritage but that should be a minor point. Well thats my 5 (rounded up from 2)sen's worth.

Side bar note: I just came from Lot 10 where Chef Riz(Chef Wan's son)was demonstrating cooking a number of dishes as part of the Malaysia Asean Heritage Trail. There were a number of stalls around the event featuring dishes ostensibly from our neigbouring countries. In principle, I think the event is a good idea and should be supported. I do have one issue. For the stall featuring Singaporean food, the dish featured was "Singapore noodles" or "Sing chow mai' as it is known here. If possible, could someone please let the event organizers know that Singapore Noodles are as much a part of Singapore cuisine as Hawaiian pizza's are a part of Hawaiian cuisine. We cant complain about culinary hijacking and misrepresentation when we commit the same offence in the same breath.

This is actually quite a delicate subject lah Asian Malaysian. I do see the validity of what you are saying. However, Malaysian has always been like this. Tolerant. Sometimes to a fault. Sometimes that is not a bad thing. Sometimes countries take advantage of this. On a macro issue, Malaysia has always had a prosper thy neighbour attitude hence the Asean theme. I do believe that in order to elevate Malaysia, we need to elevate Asean, something that I had confirmed on the Malaysian Asean Heritage Trail event.

Anyway, since the dust has settled, I think I want to blog about Minister Ng Yen Yen asking us protecting our food heritage and Singapore throwing a fit when they heard that. Probably will be in the Foodsters Blog soon.

I do apologise if it seemed that I was attacking the Malaysian Asean Heritage Trail event which I certainly thought was a good idea and should be supported. If only to highlight how Malaysian food is vastly superior to that of its neighbours.;p I certainly dont want to throw out the baby with the bath water and discourage any of the people who are and have been trying to promote Malaysian food. Their hard efforts should be recognised and encouraged with gratitude.

I just think we as a Nation can and need to do much better. I guess you might say that my main grouse is with the Malaysian tolerance you mentioned. Not our tolerance of other nations but when we tolerate less than the very best efforts from ourselves, our elected representatives and our Government. Sorry to be impolite to neighbouring countries but Malaysia really does have- hands down -the best cuisine in the entire region. Its so obvious its not even funny. Thailand and Singapore can fight for second and third place on the podium (probably due to their close proximity with Malaysia) but the further afield you go, the more the "challenge" becomes embarrasing. Almost to the point of being mean spirited. In short, you could not dream of a better product to market. So what has happened? From babe-kl's very first post on this matter and the halabaloo that ensued including the cries of protest from Nasi Kandar and Assam Laksa sellers and a "warisan tidak ketara makanan" list that looks like it was cobbled together over a series of YAB kenduris, its clear what happens a first rate product gets less than first rate marketing. Malaysian food deserves better representation. Malaysians deserve better. Anyway, will look forward to your blog, Adly.

Don't worry lah Asian-Malaysian. I did not think that you were attacking MAHT at all. In fact, this is the first time the organisers are doing this so any feedback is welcomed. Yes, Malaysian food deserves better representation. My blog is up.

Actually I'm a very Pro-malaysian cuisine guy. But you got to give credit where its due. Frankly speaking, in terms of Chinese food, Malaysian chinese food for me is by far the best compared to the region and I would even hazard, Hong Kong itself. But of course I believe this is because we grew up with cultivated taste buds.

Now, not taking away our pride of roti canai, char kuey teow, nasi goreng USA, nasi minyak, chinese porridge, nasi kandar, laksa and all that jingbang... I have to say one thing.

Indonesian food is damn good. I'm not talking about the variety that they have. I mean come on la, with a population that is 10fold ours, I'm not surprised if they have 3-4 times more different dishes than us. What I'm saying is in terms of taste. The indonesians have by far the tastier dishes.

I just came back from Yogja and had Nasi Gudek there. I mean... its nothing special really. Rice, gravy (something like chicken kurma but different), pickled vege and buffalo skin (gravy dish not keropok). When a nation feeds you the skin of a buffalo and you ask for seconds, that must count for something la. I'm not kidding you, my friends had two large plates of rice and full condiments that night. I couldn't la cause I've a stomach to manage. But in my heart I also wanted to whack again.

Months back when I was in Bogor, I sampled their mixed rice there. The ulam, the small keropok made from beans (whatchamacallit, starts with B i think), and the lauk, everything was superb.

Also, just look at all the nasi padang restaurants here. Or nasi minang. I mean, if they're not good then why the heck are we paying 2-3x more than we could to eat it compared to local mixed rice?

Anyway... I'm just saying that as foodies we should know better than to be caught up with this Politics and Nation chest thumping thing. If a dish came from north korea with Hitler's lookalike as its chef and it taste like heaven, we should say it just so.

Yes, we really do have good Chinese food in Malaysia. There has been more that one instance that our foreign friends had decided to live in Malaysia because of the good food we had. One stayed for about four years before he had to move elsewhere due to marriage. He comes once in a while to KL specifically for food, and eats to his hearts content.

Malaysian food is rich in culture and history. And the people who makes these food and people who eats these food are also very rich in culture. I think our food deserves to be in the world gastronomique map as nowhere else in the world can you get food from three major Asean races in one place, a great mix of herbs and spices that is used in such a wide range of food from bak kut teh to kapitan curries.

Teh Beng, if we really think our food is good, perhaps its good to chest thump a little once in a while just to show to the rest of the world that we care about our food. The french and italians are foodies and they chest thumped over their food. Now pizza's and french cuisine has travelled all over the world. So, perhaps by chest thumping, the inadvertently marketed their food to the world.

Adly, I think the reason Italian cuisine (particularly pizzas) and even (to a certain extent) french cuisine have the prominence that they do is because of the Americans promoted these foods ever since world war two and no single culture has had a bigger impact on the world than American culture since then. Sure, Italians and French aren't exactly the modest of people but I don't think that has been the main factor. I tend to favour Ku Li's latest views to the effect that there is already too much chest thumping in the country in the face of ever falling standards. We need a return to the kind of quality we had in the past when even a ramli burger stall owner would take the trouble to hand julienne cucumbers for each of his burgers. Yes, we must be more active in promoting our food but we must promote with more substance (very much in the way Friedchillies has always been operating)and less grandiose keris waving (if you will pardon the expression). Show me the makan!

Tehbeng, its the Chinese food that first convinced me. Even the original stuff in Hong Kong couldn't hold a candle. Its not just us locals, many foreigners are beginning to see it too. Im not quite convinced on Indonesian food yet but perhaps could do with more exposure in that respect. For me, a good nasi campur beats a nasi padang hands down (although- as with all good things- a really good nasi campur is becoming much rarer than it used to be).

I do agree that the Americans have something to do with the global influence of the French and Italian cuisines. I think the Japanese cuisine went through similar paths as well when Nobu opened in US.

I am not much of a politician. More of an entrepreneur I think. And the thing is in business, marketing trumps everything else. If people don't know about you or your products, no matter how good it is, no one will buy. In the case of Malaysian street food, there has not been any promotion of good impact by the the government as compared to what Singapore had done.

Just to share, as a result, when we attend gastronomy conference overseas, particularly in the US and European markets, people has equated laksa, char koay teow,even bak kut teh as being Singaporean. So asian-malaysian, if you tell me that the foreigners are only beginning to realise that our food is better, from my travels to global foodie conferences, I don't see it. The alarming part is that over the last 2-3 years, they have always thought that Singapore has better food. The saving grace is the fact that ONLY foodies that have actually travelled down to Malaysia and tried our food has said that we are better.

But you know what, many travel writers go to Singapore, skip Malaysia and go to Thailand. They think that since they have been to Singapore, what is there in Malaysia. So they write articles about street food and use Singapore as a reference and not us. This is a very real problem, because we don't market our food well. As I have written in my blog recently, we can't blame the Singaporeans. They are aggressive and they earned every single bit of success that they had. So, if we Malaysians feel that our food has more substance, then we must market it better to the world.

So where do we start then? Firstly, we need a mindset change. In Malaysia's case, Ng Yen Yen said that we must appreciate our food better and market it better to the world. I don't think she said that we have to patent our food. She was misquoted by the media. Now, we have been waiting for 5 years for a Malaysian Tourism Minister to say something like this. Next, she walked her talk. She launched MAHT within 2 months of saying it.

If you know us well, you'll know that FriedChillies is very selective in choosing who our clients are. My personal goal is for the global world to recognise and *appreciate* Malaysian food as one of the best in the world. We will work with anyone who can help us achieve that. If you haven't realised, we didn't bother working with the past three Tourism Ministers.

However, I can see that the new Malaysian Tourism Minister needs help. In terms of food tourism, her ministry have been so out of touch with the real game (coz they have never been in the game). We may decide to give the new minister a chance and help her. I think that it's worth a try. So, I want to stop being negative, doin the typical Malaysian finger pointingy blame game etc. I want to get on with it. Much real work needs to be done. At least now, in terms of Malaysian food appreciation, the Ministry is starting to head more or less in the right direction. That is more that I could have ever dreamed of.

I guess its better to have started late than to not have started at all... we'll see...

I'll admit the Minister has been more or less keeping to the 3 month schedule which was quoted in babe_kl's initial post to this thread 2 months ago. I am eagerly looking forward to see what the last leg of the programme she has in store next month. As I mentioned in your blog, I have nothing personal against this particular Minister although I can’t deny a good deal of general scepticism due to my general experiences as a Malaysian.

I am neither a politician nor an entrepreneur. Just a Malaysian with a greedy appetite for food. Like many others (I imagine), I gravitated towards this site and forum out of a natural and life long appreciation for our local food.

Please don’t get me wrong. I wish the Minister every success in her venture. As you have rightly pointed out, she can scarcely do worse than her predecessors and has already done much more. Still, if she is going to represent something as near and dear to a Malaysian as his makan, she had better do it justice. I do hope that she lends you a listening ear about how best to market Malaysian food because you have the experience and knowledge that she does not and (to be fair) cannot be expected to have. If the Minister takes a real leadership role and I see her spearheading substantive initiatives that can be supported, of course I will strongly support her endeavours. But the slightest scratch on our mutual gastronomic baby and you can bet the Kai Seki Magoroku knives will come out.

Btw, I have to admit that my comment about many foreigners beginning to see the superiority of our food was based on what friends and acquaintances in the UK have said so it was rather skewed and self serving.

For all intents and purpose, we can never deviate from the one great truth... good food never lies. I agree with you Adly that we need to take a stand and show the world what we're worth. Only I don't like the way its so politicised. Us against the indons and the sings... just leaves a bad taste in the mouth really.

We're living too close together that its hard not to see some spillage on both sides when it comes to our dishes. Singapore though has polish when it comes to marketing their stuff internationally. You've got to hand it to a country who sells back our water to us for 10x the original price to have some sort of marketing genius leading their economic development right?

Its a fact that they are leagues ahead when it comes to promoting their country's cuisine over ours. They petition AFC 2 years before we even know what's happening with our laksa and the suddenly Singapore Laksa.

So lets learn their ways even as we ensure the quality of our food remain a top priority.

As for sampling the indonesian food, I can only say... Japanese food tastes super awesome in Japan and equally, Indonesian food tastes super awesome in their country. no need to go far, nasi kandar in KL is perhaps 30% of what nasi Kandar in penang can taste like. If we want to do the tasting right, lets do it right. Plan for a trip to indonesia for a gorge fest. Who's with me? (next year la.. budget burst already ppl)

Finally, there is news on what is planned for the hawker food portion (the crown jewels in my view) of the food tourism events.

Heres the star news link


Heres the official web page. I note that they are still pushing the three dishes named in babe_kl's initial post, namely bah kut teh, nasi lemak and laksa. Nevertheless, a gout ridden baby step is still a step.

Theres a portion on the official website where you can recommend your favourite bah kut teh, nasi lemak and laksa. Everyone, please show your support by recommending your favourite version and shop/stall for each of the three dishes on the official website. Please also spread the news of this as much as you can before it gets buried.

Before we go further into yet another groan inducing discussion, Id like to point out the following:

Guide Book On Laksa, Nasi Lemak And Bak Kut Teh Next Year


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is set to compile the 50 best outlets of its local cuisines -- laksa, nasi lemak and Bak Kut Teh (meat bone tea) into a food galore guide book next year.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said these three cuisines will be part of the ministry's Malaysia Best Taste Series initiatives to promote Malaysian cuisine more extensively in both domestic and international markets.

"This is also our effort to collect data on our food so that we can have a list of where the best places are to have these local cuisines. We will start with these three cuisines (laksa, nasi lemak and Bak Kut Teh) first and extend it to others later," she told reporters after opening the "Fabulous Food 1Malaysia: Restaurants and Street Food Carnival" at Putra World Trade Centre here, on Saturday.

Ng said the selection of the 50 best outlets of each cuisine will be chosen from the recommendations made by the public through its website www.fabfood1malaysia.com.

She said the survey will close on Jan 30 and the book is expected to be published as early as the third quarter next year.

She said that as of yesterday, some 18,000 people from 70 countries had visited the website and made their recommendations since it was launched on Dec 3.

"After the survey is closed, our judges will go and pick the winners based on six criteria -- taste, innovation, hygiene, pricing, attitude of the operators and ambience of the outlet.

"Winners will also receive plaques from the ministry. However, this listing will be reviewed every year in order to make sure that these food operators are at their highest standard possible," she added.

Ng said the ministry with the cooperation from the food business fraternity would package and promote the event at a larger scale next year.

"I can foresee that this event has the potential to grow and I hope that we can repackage it and promote it to the world next year," she said.

-- BERNAMA


Heres the news link

Please note that you only have up to 30 January to vote for your favourite place. Its short notice, I know, and absolutely no mention of the purpose of the survey or the deadline is stated in the actual website but since it was probably a last minute decision belatedly decided by the Minister during a pre-Christmas MCA kenduri, we have to make do with what we have.

[Dear Moderator, perhaps this post would be better suited in the original thread]
Moderator Note - "Moved from Bone of Contention"

For anyone who still has any interest in the matter, "Vote for your best 3 Nasi Lemak, Laksa or Meat Bone Tea. Fill in the form below to stand a chance to win attractive prizes and Share with us in less than 20 words what makes these 3 outlets the best."
Heres the link to the Entry form.

It may be that you can only vote for the top 3 of one dish if you only have one e-mail address as one of the rules states that "Only one entry per e-mail address will be considered for contest entry, unless multiple entries are specifically allowed in the contest announcement."

As it still isnt stated any where in the website or in the Entry form, allow me to remind you that you only have until 30 January 2010 for a chance "to win attractive prizes". Dont break any nails rushing to do it though.

I note with pleasure the release of the Foodster’s Favourite 50 listings. A particular pair of listings caught my eye namely Item 18 being the Annual Foodsters Award 2009 which made the listing as the “Favourite Food Event” and Item 19 being Minister Ng Yen Yen saying that we should appreciate our food better which made the listing as the “Favourite Speech”.

I must admit that when I first saw it, I was, for a bare moment, somewhat aghast. For that moment, I thought “What bitter irony that Item 18 which also comes under my own "most loved" list for 2009 should be followed by Item 19 which comes under my "most loathed" list! And that my rationale should be the direct contrast between the two!” And there in lay my grave error which I soon realised. I was comparing apples and oranges! The error was right in front of my eyes. The former was clearly listed as the “Favourite Food Event” and the latter, the “Favourite Speech”. And yet I had mistakenly conflated the Minister’s Speech with the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia campaign. Taken in isolation, I have to admit that the Ministers speech was indeed “.. a major leap forward in terms of a much needed commitment from the Malaysian Government.”

Upon reflection, my main grouse was and always has been with the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia campaign as a Food Event which technically ended last month. When comparisons are made between that campaign and the Annual Foodsters Award 2009, the reasons are as painfully obvious as the differing results between the two. With a budget that can be safely estimated as the barest fraction of the tax payer’s Ringgit spent on the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia campaign, the Foodsters Awards came up with, promoted and published a food listings that was both credible and celebrative of all that is good and true about local Malaysian food. Having recently eaten in the O&S;restaurant in PJ, I can attest that the Best Assam Laksa Award is still proudly displayed and judging from the brisk trade of the noodles and my own sampling thereof, still holds true.

On the other hand, after having spent what must have easily run into millions of Ringgit, the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia campaign may well have quitely slipped away entirely unnoticed and unremarked into oblivion had it not been for a string of embarrasing controversies and protests that can be seen above and in the sister thread, “Bone of Contention”. A combination of poor planning or forethought and (at times) the complete absence thereof clearly took its toll on the campaign. With respectful acknowledgement of the Foodster’s views to the contrary, I cannot fathom or imagine any Malaysian born with a palate that, notwithstanding having been shaped and groomed upon the best hawker food in the world, is yet so blighted and malformed that its poor owner’s appreciation of Malaysian food was only awakened as a result of the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia campaign and its resulting controversies.

Perhaps Im being unduly harsh. Perhaps Im being unduly pessimistic. Perhaps I need “Bah Kut Teh (or its halal equvalent) for the Malaysian Soul”. I am mindful of the Foodster’s point that this is the first time that a Malaysian Tourism Ministrer has taken an interest in Malaysian food and its importance to Malaysian Tourism. As such, I have not given up all hope and treat this as the first of many nights in the ongoing series of Malaysia’s own “Hell’s Kitchen” from which there is bound to be much improvement. I hope.

I am sure that this will be good news to Malaysian foodies. Firstly, thank you asian-malaysian for such a heartfelt posting. Keep them coming.

There are now 2 parallel efforts by the Government to push Malaysian food to the world. MATRADE is spearheading the newly rekindled MAlaysian Kitchen Project for the world & Tourism Malaysia for food promotion overseas. Let see how they fare.

K.F. Seetoh from Makansutra wrote an interesting article/ food review touching on the issue of comparisons made between Malaysian food and Singaporean food (this time sparked by the comments of some singaporean born Hong Kong based food commentator).

LOL Choi Lam is a very famous food critic but seriously I watched one episode of his many shows, he did mentioned the reasons why Malaysian food is better than Sporean. It was way before Hutong in Lot10 is opened. He said the dishes in Malaysia still retained it's original taste where else in Spore the taste had changed over time.

My aunts (5 of them) who have planted in Spore way back before they split, they commented the same thing. At least our food here tasted like how it was like when they were young. In Spore, they said the taste has already evolved.

I feel KF Seetoh shld not judge the food located in a food court duh!

You have a point babekl. For us, street food is still street, with its rustic ambience and scene. In Singapore, most if not all has been moved to food courts. I do hope that our government can appreciate street food culture and not compartmentalise them into food courts.

@babe_kl. Actually, a lot of the Singaporeans have taken a similiar view of the criticism and agreed with it. I have to say I have a similar complaint about Malaysian food. Just 20 years ago, getting a decent kong foo chow, mee or bihun goreng or roti canai was a given. Now what commonly passes for such dishes can be shocking. One of the things that allowed the old time KL hawkers to keep their original places for so long after their fellow hawkers in Singapore had been forced to move out has been rent control. With that gone and the old timers going the way of all old timers without anyone to take their place (not to mention the added difficulty of finding any locals willing to work in hawker stalls these days), we are fast approacing the end of an era. To be fair, KF Seetoh has reviewed actual Malaysian hawker stalls before albeit with a Singaporean slant and Makansutra has a surprisingly sound Malaysian food guide.

Just as a follow up to the matter, it seems that a booklet guide was launched a couple of months ago:

http://www.fabfood1malaysia.com/pdf/20100830_Launching_of_Food_Trail_Directory.pdf


This year, they are "promoting" Chicken Rice, Roti Chanai and Satay.

http://www.fabfood1malaysia.com/home.php

Huh? I didnt know that have launched this. You know where the book is sold?

FYI, The pdf file that asian-malaysian posted is as follows :

MINISTRY OF TOURISM, MALAYSIA
MINISTRY OF TOURISM LAUNCHES “FABULOUS FOOD 1MALAYSIA FOOD
TRAIL 2009” BOOKLET - THE ROUTE TO THE BEST FOOD IN MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 August 2010 – The Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia today launches
its “Fabulous Food 1Malaysia Food Trail 2009” booklet, featuring the list of “10 Best”
and “must try” food in three different categories of Nasi Lemak, Laksa and Meat Bone
Tea.

The booklet, which was officiated by Tourism Minister YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, is
to provide a definitive guide in helping to navigate food aficionados and enjoy the best
of these well-loved Malaysian foods as well as share the gastronomic experience with
the foreign visitors.

The main objective for the Ministry to produce the “Fabulous Food 1Malaysia Food Trail
2009” booklet, a brainchild of YB Dato’ Dr. Sri Ng, to harness upon the attractions in the
food sector and entrench them as outstanding products of Malaysia’s food tourism.
Speaking during the launch, YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng said the “Fabulous Food 1Malaysia
Food Trail 2009” is another major addition to an innovative tourism product by the
Ministry in a move to achieve our “2020 - 36:168” target, which is to attract 36 million
tourists and RM168 billion tourism receipts which is equivalent to RM3 billion income
per week for the country.

“The food and beverages sector last year saw a 5.2% growth on the RM8.34 bilion
receipts in 2007 and the 2008 statistics from Tourism Malaysia showed that out of
RM49.5billion Malaysia earned in tourist receipt, RM8.77 billion was derived from
spending on food and beverages in our country by our visitors”, said YB Dato’ Sri Dr.
Ng.

The “Fabulous Food 1Malaysia Food Trail 2009” booklet features “10 Best” entries
shortlisted out of the total 120 listings of restaurants, delicatessens and hawker stalls

M E D I A R E L E A S E

I called the Tourism Ministry. You had to get it diecrtly from them. Its "out of stock" and they have "no idea" if there will be reprints. Malaysia Boleh!

Smart... good ideas, bad implementation. Go figure.

Sigh......