Here in Malaysia, we have a strong food culture – and with that will come a strong “tapao” or takeaway culture. While we may be used to packing our food and drinks in plastics, some foreigners might find the practice odd.
A foreign model based in Kuala Lumpur shared her opinion about Malaysia’s excessive use of single-use plastic to pack food and drinks for takeaways. In her TikTok video, Nicole Crewe said that the practice of using plastic bags was one of the craziest things she encountered after moving here. The European said that back in her home country, food and drinks are packed in paper boxes or cups if they were to go.
@nicolecrewe What do you think is the craziest thing about Malaysia? #malaysia #malaysiatiktok #malaysianfood #foryoupage #fyp #kualalumpur #tapao #mamak #mamakmalaysia
One of the examples she provided was when she wanted an order of watermelon juice to go. In typical Malaysian style, the vendor packed the drink in a plastic bag with, presumably, only raffia string or a rubber band. This packing method is very familiar to Malaysians as ‘ikat tepi’, but it was still confusing for Nicole.
Many Malaysians have chimed in on the conversation about plastic bags, with most seemingly finding no issue with the “ikat tepi” method. However, a few agreed with Nicole’s disapproval of food businesses using single-use plastic but assured that the newer generation of food vendors is moving towards more sustainable practices. Some even suggested the model bring her own container when she goes to get food in the future.
What do you think about this? Is Nicole just overreacting to the way we pack our food and drinks? Or was she right to shed light on Malaysians’ habit of using single-use plastic?
Source: TikTok
Adleena contributed to this article.
