Chinese influencer schooled by netizens for identifying nasi lemak as Malaysia's 'bak chang'

Guess this dish: Flavourful rice wrapped in leaves and folded into a pyramid shape. 

For many Singaporeans and Malaysians, two iconic dishes might come to mind — nasi lemak bungkus and bak chang — and most would know them as two vastly different things. 

Bak chang, also called rou zong or zong zi in Mandarin, is a glutinous rice dumpling stuffed with various ingredients and wrapped in leaves while nasi lemak bungkus is a Malay dish of coconut rice, sambal chilli and ingredients like egg, anchovies, peanuts and cucumber wrapped in banana leaf. 

But this distinction might not be as clear to those who are unfamiliar with the food in this region and Chinese influencer Niaoniao recently received backlash from Malaysian netizens for mixing up the two dishes.

In a Facebook reel posted last Sunday (Dec 22), she did a taste test on a packet of nasi lemak bungkus which she called a "Malaysian zong zi". 

In the now-viral reel, Niaoniao began by noting that it was different from the rice dumplings she knew. Her surprise was evident when she unwrapped the banana leaves to reveal its contents — coconut rice, chilli, chicken and an egg. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/reel/1997311807360302[/embed]

"So it looks like that on the inside," Niaoniao expressed before she took a bite — the way you would a traditional bak chang. 

"It's spicy and even has chicken," she said.

The post garnered 1,700 comments — mostly from Malaysian netizens.

The majority of them were displeased with the mislabelling of the dish and criticised Niaoniao for being "ignorant", "unknowledgeable" and "uncultured". 

"You can lack knowledge, but you can't lack common sense," one comment read. 

"Please do your homework (research) before uploading to the internet, don't insult Malaysia's national delicacy," another stated.

Chided another commenter: "You bought a zong zi, why didn't you buy a brain while you were at it?" 

That being said, not all of the comments were negative. Some took a more understanding approach, and several tried to educate her on the dish.

"Beautiful, this isn't zong zi. The correct term is actually nasi lemak. It's Malaysia's national breakfast dish. There's rice, chilli, anchovies, peanuts, egg and a few slices of cucumber. Don't confuse them in the future. Malaysia welcomes you. Jiayou," a commenter wrote. 

Some could understand why she mixed the two dishes up.

"Even though I think it's funny, they actually do look a little similar. Eating nasi lemak for next year's Dragon Boat Festival isn't bad either," one netizen joked. 

In response to the heated comments, Niaoniao subsequently uploaded two more Facebook reels addressing the saga.

The first video was posted a day after the original reel, on Dec 23, and in it was a tongue-in-cheek apology — with the influencer acknowledging that she had seen the comments from netizens and apologising for "making everyone upset over a zong zi".

"I've already deeply reflected on myself. Don't be angry anymore," she added. 

The second response video was posted on Dec 25.

"I'm sorry, I made everyone angry again," Niaoniao expressed.

"I even received private messages saying there are associations coming to find me and teach me a lesson," she continued.

The second half of the video then took a lighthearted turn, with her dancing around claiming that she "loves eating nasi lemak" and "nasi lemak is super yummy". 

She then asked someone off-screen whether she was being "serious enough" right before the video ends.

[[nid:653665]]

carol.ong@asiaone.com