This has got to be the funniest read!!!!
![“We cannot continue to let other countries hijack - “We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food,” Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen said on Thursday according to the Star newspaper. “Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food.”
Other dishes Malaysia claims as its include the fragrant coconut milk rice “nasi lemak,” the spicy soup noodle “laksa” and the pork ribs herbal soup “bak kut teh.”
“In the next three months, we will identify certain key dishes [to be declared as Malaysian]. We have identified laksa — all types of laksa — nasi lemak and bak kut teh,” she said.](https://img.mylot.com/2248100.jpg "“We cannot continue to let other countries hijack - “We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food,” Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen said on Thursday according to the Star newspaper. “Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food.”
Other dishes Malaysia claims as its include the fragrant coconut milk rice “nasi lemak,” the spicy soup noodle “laksa” and the pork ribs herbal soup “bak kut teh.”
“In the next three months, we will identify certain key dishes [to be declared as Malaysian]. We have identified laksa — all types of laksa — nasi lemak and bak kut teh,” she said.")
By ahgong
@ahgong (10064)
Singapore
September 21, 2009 6:24pm CST
As usual, I was combing the back issues of news papers when I came across the article.
I almost choked on my coffee when I read it. It was so darn funny, my wife thought I had the fits as I rolled on the floor laughing!
Went to the net to seek out the soft copy.
http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/malaysia-fights-back-tourism-minister-vows-to-stop-other-countries-hijacking-its-cuisine/330394
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKRFkyKV3PZlj6hOKJ2ypglyXXSw
http://theunspunblog.com/2009/09/17/whose-chicken-rice-is-it-anyway/
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1059780&lang=eng_news&cate_img=317.jpg&cate_rss=news_Features
When I started this discussion, I am at a dilemma. I didn't know where to put it. Should it be humor? Or reading? Or day to day news?
ha ha ha ha ha... 
Here are the excerpts I found particularly amusing:
[b]"Malaysia Fights Back: Tourism Minister Vows To Stop Other Countries ‘Hijacking’ Its Cuisine"
"We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food,” she was quoted as saying."
"We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food," she was quoted as saying.[/b]
I am sure the chinese in Hainan are going to have a fit over this!
Imagine, Hainanese Chicken Rice is Malaysian!
I wonder how she is going to stop other countries from selling and branding these dishes she mentioned as local favorites.
Or... or how she is going to force these vendors in other countries from not associating these dishes with Malaysia.
Or.. or what is she going to do to those vendors or stall holders who are selling these 'hijacked' dishes in countries that are not under her jurisdiction.
Is this a case of a minister blunder?
Or one where she is biting more than she could chew?
The follow up to this case is definitely going to be an interesting one.
As she mentioned: “That is part two. We cannot reveal it yet, but we will let you know soon,”
Here are the excerpts I found particularly amusing:
[b]"Malaysia Fights Back: Tourism Minister Vows To Stop Other Countries ‘Hijacking’ Its Cuisine"
"We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food,” she was quoted as saying."
"We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food," she was quoted as saying.[/b]
I am sure the chinese in Hainan are going to have a fit over this!
Imagine, Hainanese Chicken Rice is Malaysian!
I wonder how she is going to stop other countries from selling and branding these dishes she mentioned as local favorites.
Or... or how she is going to force these vendors in other countries from not associating these dishes with Malaysia.
Or.. or what is she going to do to those vendors or stall holders who are selling these 'hijacked' dishes in countries that are not under her jurisdiction.
Is this a case of a minister blunder?
Or one where she is biting more than she could chew?
The follow up to this case is definitely going to be an interesting one.
As she mentioned: “That is part two. We cannot reveal it yet, but we will let you know soon,”2 people like this
4 responses
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
22 Sep 09
lol =D I have seen and read about those news in the papers too!! haha =D It's just too ridiculous for a Tourism minister to be making such comments rights?? haha =D
Just because they were in the limelight for 'stealing' indoneia's balet dance, so now they wanna gain back some pride?? haha =D That's soo sooo wrong!! Food is something which is hard to pinpoint its origin, because of our earlier days, being under the british colony.. haha =D As such, there are alot of mixure around, creating alot of different dishes etc.. haha =D
So how can malaysia be claiming those dishes are theirs?? If they really do, by right they should be claiming bryani, prata all that, for malaysia is a country full of malays!! haha =D BUt instead, they are claiming for all the popular chinese food in singapore?? lol =D
That's soo sooo wrong!! Food is something which is hard to pinpoint its origin, because of our earlier days, being under the british colony.. haha =D As such, there are alot of mixure around, creating alot of different dishes etc.. haha =D
So how can malaysia be claiming those dishes are theirs?? If they really do, by right they should be claiming bryani, prata all that, for malaysia is a country full of malays!! haha =D BUt instead, they are claiming for all the popular chinese food in singapore?? lol =D
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
24 Sep 09
Yeah, like a case of being bullied, she finds some one else to bully in order to feel good about herself.
But then again, she did not explicitly target any country. So we cannot say she is biting back at other people. (otherwise, kenna sue also dunno what happened!)
The thing is this, if she manages to get those dishes she mentioned nationalized, what is she going to do with people who uses the name "Hainanese Chicken Rice" or "Laksa" on their stall banner?
Is she going to try an get royalties from people who uses those dishes as a specialty to their business?
How in the world is she going to make the world comply to her demands of recognizing those dishes as Malaysian? (just Hainese Chicken Rice alone is a challenge!)
It would be really interesting to see what she is going to reveal in part two of her plan!
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
23 Sep 09
Those Malaysian ministers always like to speak nonsense! I guess the Chinese government must be roaring with laughter.
If the Chinese government decides to take action against Malaysia government for hijacking Hong Kong Tim Sum, Peking Duck, Chong Qing steamboat etc, I think that will be very interesting.
I better buy more SPH shares just in case a verbal war breaks out between the two governments, the profit of SPH sure hits the roof
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
22 Sep 09
That is hysterical! I've never heard of any country laying claim to certain foods, especially when they have the name of another country! Too funny!!!
Geez, I guess that makes me guilty of hijacking Chinese food (I love fried rice and make it often) or Italian food (I also make a lot of pasta with tomato sauce meals) or Mexican food (yeah, we love home-made tacos), etc.
Good grief. Does it really matter so much that foods created in one country are served in any other country, even without knowing or thinking about their origins? 
It just seems to me that the world is becoming smaller and smaller, with modern transportation and the internet. People travel all over the world these days. You can have breakfast in one country and have dinner on the other side of the world! It just seems so insignificant to me about the origins of the foods I eat. I don't care where they came from. I only care about whether or not I like them.
Maybe it has something to do with living in the U.S. where we are like a "mini-world" with so many people from all over the world living here. We enjoy food from around the globe, yet I've never known anyone who really cared about where it originated from.
Unbelievable!@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
24 Sep 09
Yeah, that is exactly what I feel too.
I mean, there can be no two version of the same food?
Take the hot dog for example, just this one food alone, there are like a few hundred variations. And in America alone, different states have different versions which they can claim to be their own. You don't see the hot dog inventor claiming rights to it, do you?
Or the burger for example. You don't see burger chains fighting with each other over who owns the rights to ALL burgers.
Same goes for asian dishes. There are so many variations to chicken rice alone!
Like I said, it would be interesting how she is going to implement all that she said.
Looking forward to part two of her plans!
@JamesKYTan (1605)
• Malaysia
22 Sep 09
Yes, this is becoming more ridiculous!
More and more 'laughing stalk' in our
political landscape. Now in tourism.
I remembered about the 'Rasa sayang' song,
the batik and many more.
Let wait and see the part two...LOL
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
24 Sep 09
Yeah... that is what I am doing too. Looking out for part two of her plan!
I wonder what she is going to do after she manages to get those dishes she mentioned nationalized. (Assuming she can get it done, though I find it hard for her to make BAK KUT TEH, a pork dish, to be claimed as a national dish).
It would be interesting to see how she is going to implement all that she claimed! 
