I WAS amused by a recent report with the heading “Maybe my expectations were too high: Tourist left underwhelmed after trying the “best Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore”.

A British traveller decided to try a Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed chicken rice stall at a hawker centre. She and her friend joined the long queue outside the Maxwell Food Centre.

It was her first time tasting Hainanese chicken rice – and she was disappointed. Her video online drew many comments, some claiming that the best chicken rice was to be found elsewhere. A Singaporean said the best chicken rice he had ever had was in London.

Taste in foods and drink is subjective. We can like or dislike a flavour, but we cannot say if it is good or bad.

For example, those who have not acquired a taste for strong-smelling meats such as mutton or fruits such as durian will find them unpalatable. After all, one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

Connoisseurs can differentiate gourmet food from regular fare and between expensive and cheap wines. To the uninitiated, they make no difference. So there is no need to go out of the way to have the “best” chicken rice or char koay teow when one is having it for the first time.

No organisation is able rank foods that are acceptable across the vast spectrum as tastes are mostly acquired when young. Various criteria may be used for rating, but it is not as simple as deciding whether a thing is delicious or not.

At any rate, great meals are enjoyed thrice. First, there is the anticipation, then the consumption and finally, there is the memory of it.  

Health-wise, we should consume a great variety of meats and vegetables. All foods can be enjoyable and healthy if well-cooked with minimal oil, salt, sugar, spice, preservatives and colourings. The texture and temperature must also be right.

The quality of meats and vegetables can differ greatly, depending on how they were bred or grown.

For example, the tilapia fish tastes horrible if it has been bred in a stagnant, muddy pond. It is different when it has been raised in a large pond fed with fresh water from a mountain stream. The best farmed tilapia in the world are found in the Batang Ai Dam in Sarawak. If freshly caught and not frozen, they taste as good as the  most expensive river fishes, 

Steaming is the healthiest way to cook fresh fish. Seasoning should be minimal to enjoy their unique flavour, which should not be masked by spices. Grilling or roasting over charcoal fire may produce tastier meat, but this method of cooking is less healthy. The worst is deep frying.

But more importantly, food must be clean, fresh and freshly cooked. Sadly, food handling practices are poor in Malaysia. It is common to see fish and prawns sold by the roadside and in night markets with little or no ice to keep them fresh.

It is also the practice of most restaurants and caterers to cook many hours before the food is consumed. Fruits are cut and left to oxidise. 

Chinese restaurants usually leave red chilli, garlic and soy sauce out on the table for the guests to help themselves to the accompaniments to the meal. But the chilli and garlic will oxidise after they are cut and lose their flavour and start to stink after a few hours.

Before the advent of the internet, everything looked great on a postcard. Today, many dishes in digital photos and videos appear appetising and food channels are popular, but many of the recommendations need to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I have patronised many of the recommended outlets and do not wish to return. But influencers seem to enjoy nearly all the foods they sample.

Yet food channels and rankings will remain popular as food is close to the hearts of people. But food fights between people of different countries are unnecessary. Food should be celebrated and there should be no winners or losers.

It could be a mistake to promote uniquely local foods to foreign tourists. For example, kuih muih (traditional cakes) may be popular with many Malaysians, but others may find them too sweet and unhealthy.

However, it is effective to offer localised versions of cuisines to foreign tourists who are already familiar with the food. For example, ethnic Chinese from other countries could be introduced to local Chinese food.

As taste buds won’t change overnight, most people will opt for familiarity or comfort food. The younger generations have grown up on fast food and may not have acquired a taste for traditional food. But when there is no choice, the hungry will eat what is available. – April 23, 2024.

* Y. S. Chan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.