In this IRL opinion piece, contributor Lisa touches on Malaysian culture’s growing obsession with hype and the constant chase for viral trends.
Malaysians have an obsession with virality. The incessant “must-try first” belief when it comes to a new eatery, is honestly concerning.
The last viral eatery in KL’s scene is FUIYOH! It’s Uncle Roger, the restaurant of popular Internet sensation Nigel Ng, a Malaysian comedian and YouTube-personality who made his mark with a character based on a racial stereotype.
Queuing up for hours: Malaysia’s national sport
Aside from the latest Apple iPhone launches, I don’t think the rest of the world partakes in queuing up – much less for food – as seriously as we Malaysians do.
From the days where McDonald’s released a new collectible toy back in the early 2000s, or standing by the road for the SS15 rojak from a van, we have been champions in the sport of queuing for sub-par food.
However, the psychology behind this herd mentality really begs the question: What is the obsession with eating trending food?
Is the excitement of checking out and forming an opinion about the latest new food gimmick so important to our social media reputations?
To be fair, I don’t think patrons were expecting too much from the food, being that Uncle Roger’s tagline is “I’m not a chef, I just complain”.
It was for a chance to see and interact with Nigel Ng himself – who made an appearance at his namesake restaurant.
Although it was a transparent marketing gimmick, the premise of the opening was to get as many people as possible to dress like Uncle Roger and try to break some world record.
Malaysian have a severe lack of alternative entertainment
@themalaymailYouTuber Uncle Roger recently opened his first restaurant in Pavilion KL, and it’s already creating a buzz! In a recent video, excited fans are seen queuing for up to three hours just to sample his renowned fried rice. The long wait reflects the high demand and enthusiasm surrounding the launch of Uncle Roger’s culinary venture.♬ original sound – themalaymail
Do we ever stop to reflect on how we are spending our precious weekend?
If we took the time to reflect on the way we spend our weekends – we would see that chasing after viral food hubs is the side effect of not having proper alternatives on ways to spend our free time.
With there being a lack of awareness on educational hubs like museums, art shows & galleries or even community sports centres.
“Oftentimes, in the urban areas that do have access to it, the prices for an hour of recreation doesn’t justify the activity. This leaves healthier options for weekend activities to those in a higher income bracket.”
While our multicultural peninsula boasts multiple ethnic backgrounds, we lack appreciation of its diverse art culture such as traditional dance, music and other forms of performances.
However, diverse food is found everywhere with different races coming together to stand in line to try out the latest viral food trend.
The volatile Malaysian food market
As we are well aware of, Malaysia’s food scene is truly comparable to those in London & New York with fascinating gastronomy experiences – both luxury and affordable.
It’s no wonder that we are self-proclaimed foodies, with every individual a food critic.
Whether you are a paid content creator or an unbiased one on TikTok and Instagram, we are all free to make our judgements and share it within our circles.
“In return, word-of-mouth is worth more than any KL foodie review. This makes Malaysia’s food market highly volatile with cafes and restaurants popping up and closing down before the end of their first quarter.”
The abundance of choices that we have as Malaysians allow us to be highly choosy with the way we spend our money on food. While we are adventurous when it comes to trying out new places, we only give it one chance to prove itself to us.
With copious amounts of media coverage even before the restaurant opened, it’s no wonder people were eager to give it a try.
However, it’s been just over 2 weeks since the opening, and with the mediocre reviews being shared online, the hype has slowly been dying down.
Malaysians are foodies at heart – and it’s a testament to our collective culture
At the heart of the Uncle Roger hype, is undeniably the collectivistic identity we see ourselves in.
His popularity in mainstream media with almost 10 million subscribers on Youtube and being featured with popular TV chefs like Gordon Ramsey, it’s the notion that we see a Malaysian next to super-famous personalities, and get excited at supporting one of our own.
An outing on the weekend to stand in line for hours just to try sub-par food is also a bonding activity we do with our loved ones, whether to treat them to a meal, or spend some quality time hanging out. It’s not inherently wrong to do such things.
Gathering over a meal has been a time-tested tradition from cultures all over the world.
Perhaps this is the new normal of breaking bread together.
While we should be critical of how we spend our time & money, if joy can be extracted from a weekend criticising viral foodie hotspots with our friends & family, I’d still say it was time and money well spent.
In a day and age where most of our time is spent behind screens, human interactions should be treasured.
What do you think of this story?
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