A Malaysian lady has gotten this middle-aged Singaporean pastor all “woked” up. Its just food: nasi lemak, laksa, chicken rice, bak kut teh and chilli crab. But she had to politicise it. Its not enough that these dishes are delightful, comforting  and mostly affordable. Its not enough for her that these favourite dishes have been regarded vaguely as both Malaysian and Singaporean for decades. For ordinary citizens of both countries, taste and enjoyment were foremost and origins were set aside with a shrug of the shoulder. We have always assigned the dishes’ origins to ethnic groups, not to nationality. She just had to claim the dishes originated with Malaysia, not Singapore, or Indonesia. It isn’t enough that we have been quarrelling over air and water, let’s quarrel over food too!  To top it off she is the tourism minister, Datuk seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. She is supposed to promote friendship between Malaysia and Singapore, be charming and hospitable and get all the neighbours over. Instead she has accused other unnamed countries of having hijacked Malaysian local dishes!

Let us reason together. Singapore and Malaysia were once one country called Malaya. So when we think about the origins of the dishes, it has to do with both countries. Nasi lemak  was cooked up by Malays on both sides of the causeway and Malacca straits. Similarly with laksa. Chicken rice is not called Hainanese chicken rice for nothing as the Chinese immigrants from Hainan who lived on both sides of the causeway cooked up this food, having brought it from their island in China. So too with bak kut teh which is more associated with Teochew or Hokkien dialect groups. The origins of the five dishes were common to both countries or associated with immigrant races and dialect groups. Let us all agree and not get riled up or scratch each other’s car when we visit across the causeway. A solution would be to call these dishes Singma dishes. I visited a restaurant in Nepal called Singma where they serve these delectable dishes with authentic taste.

The chilli crab, however is, using Mourinho’s  word, UNTOUCHABLE. It is definitely, thoroughly, absolutely, indisputably , legally, archaeologically, historically and hysterically MADE IN SINGAPORE.  How do I know? Well I watch TV and I still remember one advertisement in particular. Furthermore, The Straits Times reported that a Madam Cher Yam Tian, a 78 year old of Roland Restaurant created it in 1950, and others have since improved it.

There is only one valid way for Malaysia to claim that all these dishes originated with her: a merger between Malaysia and Singapore!