M’sians & S’poreans Band Together To Slam Nat-Geo’s Snobbish Review of Kaya Toast Breakfast Set

By
Zhi Hao
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To many Malaysians and Singaporeans, the perfect breakfast does not consist of pancakes with scrambled eggs.

Image: MSPhotographic / Shutterstock.com

Neither does it, seemingly, constitute of hotdogs and grilled tomatoes.

Image: I Am A Food Blog

No, rather, our definition of a perfect breakfast would be as such:

Image: Asian Inspirations

Sure, it might look a little unassuming in comparison to the fully-laden plates up above. Alright, maybe a little more than little.

But as Singaporeans and Malaysians would surely attest to, there’s something about the classic ‘Kaya toast with half-boiled eggs and a steaming cup of black coffee’ that really gets you, heartstrings and all.

Image: Malaysian Chinese Kitchen

Now, that’s a perfect breakfast in our eyes.

And it shows too

On 5 April, National Geographic published an article highlighting the breakfast staple, and you can only imagine our collective joy at the news.

Our favourite breakfast is finally being recognised! 

Indeed, with the well-loved dish being one of the few things Singaporeans and Malaysians can both agree on, everyone wished to see the breakfast staple reflected in the limelight it truly deserves.

Image: Toast Box

But as reality would have it…

The actual product turned out kinda different from what we would’ve expected.

A Snobbish Review

Before we start, it has to be mentioned that the article starts out harmless enough.

With a title that reads “A Toast to Singapore’s Traditional Breakfast”, you’re seemingly set for a heartfelt tribute, if not a patriotic tribunal, to the breakfast staple we’ve loved for ages.

Yet, just like a catfish on Tinder, the mask starts peeling off really fast. Right from the get-go, the first paragraph begins to uglify one of the most well-loved dishes in both Singapore and Malaysia.

Here, read it for yourself:

“Here’s what my breakfast in Singapore looked like: sticky, slime-coloured coconut custard jam slathered over a thin crisp of toasted brown bread, served with a side of two eggs so undercooked that their whites retained the clarity of newly dead fish eyes.”

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“Alongside, a small cup of coffee with an oleaginous blackness that rejected the advances of condensed milk. It was not loved at first sight.”

Image: nationalgeographic.com

…

Image: Tenor

Virality

After the article was published, a screenshot of the aforementioned paragraph was posted on Twitter, and swiftly began to circulate on social media.

But rather than compliment the author on his wittiness and whatnot, netizens condemned him for the overall tone of the article, which they found condescending and disrespectful.

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And while the writer did acknowledge his love for this famous breakfast later on in the article, it seems that the introductory paragraph has done damage so severe it’s all but irreparable.

And as others pointed out, it’s not that different from usual Western staples.

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Indeed, this Netizen voiced out an opinion that probably resonates with everyone here (save, of course, for the author).

Though that question will probably remain unsolved for some time.

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And so… now what?

As the average local foodie will surely attest to, foreign critics have not had an admirable track record of ‘analysing’ Asia-exclusive food.

Case in point: ‘crispy’ rendang and ‘ugly’ jackfruit.

And with this latest slip-up to add to that list, one can’t help but wonder;

Is there actually any worth to being continually enraged over such opinions, considering how they might just be the ‘norm’ in the future?

Image: mymemes.biz

And as usual, ang mos, please remember this: we take our food seriously, so don’t anyhowly talk about our food, please.

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]