With numerous cultural similarities and separated only by a strait, there is often dispute between Singaporeans and Malaysians regarding who has the best version of things, including cuisine.
On 18 May, a Malaysian netizen took to Threads to complain about the packaging of bak kut teh-flavoured potato chips from the Taiwanese brand Hwa Yuan Foods.
Among the inaccuracies the original poster (OP) pointed out was the use of Merlion imagery on the packaging.
The OP pointed out three complaints about the bak kut teh potato chip packaging, to which Malaysian netizens agreed.
One was the image of a man wearing traditional Malay clothing, suggesting he was Muslim.
“Malays/Muslims don’t eat pork, so placing traditional Malay clothing next to Bak Kut Teh shows a lack of understanding of ‘halal’,” wrote the OP.
Source: Threads
Secondly, the bowl of bak kut teh depicted in the middle of the bag appeared to be garnished with coriander, which the OP remarked was “unacceptable as adding taro to hot pot”.
Lastly, the OP pointed out the image of a Merlion statue, which they said would “definitely cause public outrage in Malaysia”.
“Bak Kut Teh and pepper soup are different,” the OP added.
Following the post, the Threads account @hypotato_chips, which appears to market Hwa Yuan Foods’ potato chips, replied on the same day, thanking the OP for their feedback.
Source: Threads
They said they have “stopped shipping and scrapped the remaining packaging materials after receiving the message last week”.
“We and the design company will strengthen our cultural sensitivity and accuracy in the future,” they added.
However, some netizens disagreed with the OP’s comment about Singapore’s bak kut teh being pepper soup.
One user said it was ” a sign of disrespect for other cultures”.
Translation: Personally think that you deliberately refer to Singapore’s “flesh and bone tea” as “pepper soup” is also disrespectful to others’ culture.
Source: Threads
A Malaysian netizen also came to Singapore’s defence, noting that Singaporean bak kut teh is different because it is Teochew-style rather than Malaysia’s Hokkien-style.
Translation: As a Malaysian myself, I really think Malaysians should be more tolerant and broaden their horizons. Just because they feel inferior to Singapore in many ways, they use their larger population to suppress Singaporean food. Take Bak Kut Teh, for example; one is Hokkien style, the other Teochew style, and they claim theirs is the only authentic one, while others are just pepper soup. But if someone from another country says Malaysian Bak Kut Teh is actually herbal pork rib soup, that’s unacceptable. They use the same standards to judge others, but can’t allow anyone to speak for themselves.
Source: Threads
Malaysia’s bak kut teh traditionally uses dried spices and medicinal herbs, while Singapore’s version is typically flavoured with white pepper and garlic, according to the South China Morning Post.
The dish is believed to have been brought by Hokkien immigrants from China’s Fujian province to Malaysia and Singapore in the 19th century.
Former Malaysian tourism minister Ng Yen Yen had claimed in 2009 that bak kut teh was created by a Chinese physician in Malaysia during the 1930s, but the claim has not been proven, according to the National Library Board.
Also read: M’sian netizens mock S’pore being top SEA country on TasteAtlas Top 100 Best Food Cities list
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Featured image adapted from Threads and Lcc54613 on Canva. Right image for illustration purposes only.