There’s nothing that gets Malaysians fired up the way Nasi Lemak does.
And British journalist Katie Morley accidentally stirred the pot on Wednesday (Jan 15).
She was aboard a 13-hour flight on British Airways when they served her what was labelled as “chicken curry with rice.”
What Morley found beneath the foil, however, was “chicken curry served with anaemic boiled egg, topped with smelly, slimy anchovies”.
Based on her description alone, it did sound somewhat unappetising.
Morley then snapped a photo of the “wickedly bad meal” and posted it on Twitter to shame it “in the name of public interest”.
In the name of public interest, am sharing this wickedly bad meal British Airways treated me to during a 13hr flight. Behold: chicken curry served with anaemic boiled egg, topped with smelly, slimy anchovies. ANCHOVIES. I quite like plane food usually, and this was a 0/10 🤢 pic.twitter.com/ZmgbGa6znV
— Katie Morley (@KatieMorley_) January 15, 2020
Rather than the chicken curry one would’ve imagined the airline to serve, Morley’s meal bore a striking resemblance to Malaysia’s national dish — Nasi Lemak.
As a result, her ‘public service message’ didn’t sit well with many Malaysians.
They lambasted the journalist for her ignorance, going so far as to say it was “the price for the painful legacy of colonialism” and that the airline should stick to serving “boiled, bland, British food”.
Ya… bad form for an airline to serve culturally relevant food to people departing any country. It should only ever be boiled, bland British food on @British_Airways Shame on them for being sensitive to world menus and the different foods people eat around the world… 🙄🙄🙄
— 🍫Mostly About Chocolate🍫 (@MostlyAboutChoc) January 15, 2020
You will have just offended an entire nation. (It's usually delicious – certainly beats the scrambled egg served on most long haul flights).
— Andrew Morris (@Andrew_P_Morris) January 16, 2020
Yes. This is called nasi lemak. It is delicious.
— Kate Walton (@waltonkate) January 16, 2020
I'm sorry you have to pay the price for the painful legacy of colonialism.
— khalid (@khalids) January 16, 2020
But some Twitter users acknowledged that the version of Nasi Lemak served by the airlines looked rather subpar.
In response to Morley’s “slimy anchovies” description, one explained that when reheated within a foil package, the normally crispy ikan bilis would turn soggy, hence the slimy texture.
I understand her frustration I would be devastated too. Trust me if you keep a well heated foiled nasi lemak pretty sure those crispy anchovies will get wet & slimy. I once brought a home cooked nasi lemak to work, heated in the microwave & left it for hours. Everything’s wet
— loq (@NorLoqman) January 16, 2020
Another Twitter user shared a photo of her own in-flight nasi lemak aboard another carrier — which featured rendang served in a separate receptacle and a fried egg instead — that looked far more yummy.
“You just got a horrible airline version of Nasi Lemak.”
You just got a horrible airline version of Nasi Lemak.
4 days ago I was served the same dish but on @MAS . We got a fried egg and chicken rendang. Much better looking than what you were served on BA.
Second photo is of a proper plate of Nasi Lemak. With description! pic.twitter.com/TRqThU2EVu
— Shamaine Othman #freepalestine (@shamaineothman) January 16, 2020
Following the barrage of comments, Morley tweeted an apology the next day, explaining that it was the first time she had come across such a dish and she had not meant to insult a national dish at all.
Many Malaysians have got in touch to say the meal I tweeted about yday is a popular national dish. I’d not come across it before & meant no offence. As many have pointed out, I was clearly served a v poor version by BA. Sure it can be lovely & hope to try the real thing one day!
— Katie Morley (@KatieMorley_) January 16, 2020
https://twitter.com/kmarl__/status/1217748109125545984
Meanwhile, friendlier Twitter users invited Morley to try the real dish in Malaysia and suggested some places she could check out.
Interestingly enough, her controversial comments caught the attention of Darren Cronian, a YouTuber who travelled 6,000 miles from Athens, Greece to Malaysia last October just to eat Nasi Lemak, all because he chanced upon a photo of the enticing dish on Instagram.
He jokingly shared his story with Morley and wrote, “Katie, the Malaysians are very passionate about their food.”
https://twitter.com/remotedarren/status/1217751791883997184
Last year, McDonald’s Malaysia ignited a food fight with Singapore after they released an advertisement claiming that they had the better Nasi Lemak.
And let’s not forget the time the entire nation went into an uproar when a judge on Masterchef criticised a contestant’s nasi lemak dish for not having crispy chicken rendang.
