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Okay I'm going to start a minor thread about this to unpack why this has always irked me. https://twitter.com/rincredible/status/1336166409164869632
Malaysians love food. But some of us (like me) love food in a way that is a bit different. I'd call it anorak behaviour. I'm a food anorak.
I can get obsessive about the minutiae of foods. I try not to show it too much because food is something people can have strong, emotional reactions to. But I'm the type who could get lost for hours in my own head, thinking about where specific foods come from and why they exist.
So, as a Malaysian who loves and respects food, I tend to not be too harsh about Malaysians who make a living by making food overseas. Why do I tend to give them a pass?
1. Malaysian food is great and if they make it overseas, other people get to see how great our food is.
1. Malaysian food is great and if they make it overseas, other people get to see how great our food is.
2. It can be difficult to get authentic ingredients at a price point that would make sense from a business point of view. Sometimes you just have to adapt.
3. Some went overseas to escape persecution, or to give themselves a chance at living a life that is true to who they are.
3. Some went overseas to escape persecution, or to give themselves a chance at living a life that is true to who they are.
4. Most of the time the reason the descriptions of their food sound problematic ("larval nubs of mochi" will forever be seared in my memory) because it's viewed from the lens of a mediocre white writer who didn't bother to learn any better.
This last point is crucial. I used to roll my eyes at descriptions of Malaysian food made and sold overseas, but then I realised that it's the fault of the writer and NOT the business owner/chef. F&B is a cutthroat industry, especially if you're making unfamiliar food.
HOWEVER, with Azalina I feel that she - whether knowingly or not - exploits the Western food media's lack of awareness by presenting an overly exoticised view of her culture. When we read about it, the general reaction is not "sounds legit" but "WTF" https://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2013/03/22/azalina-eusope-on-mamak-culture-spices-and-the-joys-and-pains-of-pop-ups/
I mean, really?
From HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/azalina_b_2595349/amp
San Francisco Chronicle. https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/amp/Azalina-Eusope-s-singular-journey-into-the-6066786.php
I feel like I need to say that I am not diminishing her skills or her sheer willpower and hard work. Nor will I deny that it is very likely true that she and her family faced race-based discrimination here in Malaysia. I was born and bred here, racism is institutional here.
But I feel that by playing up on an exotic past that may be true but also may well be embellished judging by reactions I've seen, she's contributing to the giant and amorphous problem of the othering of what I consider minorities among minorities.
I feel this in turn leads to some folk likely thinking they get a free pass when it comes to representing certain cultures. The shitty cannibal game and their sorry-not-sorry apology comes to mind.
I know it's a stretch to connect the two, but the attitudes related are the same.
I know it's a stretch to connect the two, but the attitudes related are the same.
The Western media has this weird fetish with the exotic. And while playing up the exotic may get one more exposure and therefore more chances to survive in an industry that is notoriously difficult to survive in, it also opens up others to exploitation.
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