There’s no denying, we Malaysians love our nasi lemak very much. So it was pretty cool when PappaRich Australia recently announced they were introducing their signature nasi lemak at their outlets in Liverpool Street and Broadway.
However, it wasn’t their cheap price tag of AUD2 (RM6.62) that drew everyone’s attention. It was the accompanying photos that rub people the wrong way.
The promo pictures above, show 2 people eating our beloved local dish with a pair of chopsticks. Naturally, many netizens thought that the cultural appropriation posts were insensitive and even offensive. Several people pointed out that just because nasi lemak is an Asian cuisine, it doesn’t mean that it should be eaten with chopsticks. Unless of course, it was PappaRich’s intention to show how long it’ll take to finish a plate of nasi lemak.
“I like this picture but it’s not Asian enough. Oh, I know… let’s give them chopsticks!” a Facebook user sarcastically wrote. Another added, “The way the white ass chick is handling my glorious nasi lemak is vile”. Ouch!
The comments didn’t just stop there. Some netizens even pointed out the error in which the PappaRich models were handling the utensils. “It’s bad enough to use chopsticks with nasi lemak, but worse is they are holding the chopsticks wrongly!” said Nelly Lim. Her sentiments were echoed by Stella Loh, who asked, “Why the heck is she holding the chopsticks like she’s holding a pen?!”
Since coming under fire for posting the inappropriate photos, PappaRich Australia has deleted the original posts from their Facebook page.
Do y’all think the posts were offensive?
Source: PappaRich Australia’s Facebook.
