British woman gets schooled on nasi lemak after calling it 'wickedly bad meal'

There's nothing that gets Malaysians fired up the way Nasi Lemak does.

And British journalist Katie Morley accidentally stirred the pot on Wednesday (Jan 15).

She was aboard a 13-hour flight on British Airways when they served her what was labelled as "chicken curry with rice."

What Morley found beneath the foil, however, was "chicken curry served with anaemic boiled egg, topped with smelly, slimy anchovies".

Based on her description alone, it did sound somewhat unappetising.

Morley then snapped a photo of the "wickedly bad meal" and posted it on Twitter to shame it "in the name of public interest".

[embed]https://twitter.com/KatieMorley_/status/1217406294879035392[/embed]

Rather than the chicken curry one would've imagined the airline to serve, Morley's meal bore a striking resemblance to Malaysia's national dish — Nasi Lemak.

As a result, her 'public service message' didn't sit well with many Malaysians.

They lambasted the journalist for her ignorance, going so far as to say it was "the price for the painful legacy of colonialism" and that the airline should stick to serving "boiled, bland, British food".

[embed]https://twitter.com/MostlyAboutChoc/status/1217467224543330304[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/Andrew_P_Morris/status/1217717970354483201[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/waltonkate/status/1217642264739995654[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/khalids/status/1217659767453151232[/embed]

But some Twitter users acknowledged that the version of Nasi Lemak served by the airlines looked rather subpar.

In response to Morley's "slimy anchovies" description, one explained that when reheated within a foil package, the normally crispy ikan bilis would turn soggy, hence the slimy texture.

[embed]https://twitter.com/NorLoqman/status/1217698661511024640[/embed]

Another Twitter user shared a photo of her own in-flight nasi lemak aboard another carrier — which featured rendang served in a separate receptacle and a fried egg instead — that looked far more yummy.

"You just got a horrible airline version of Nasi Lemak."

[embed]https://twitter.com/shamaineothman/status/1217738603960262656[/embed]

Following the barrage of comments, Morley tweeted an apology the next day, explaining that it was the first time she had come across such a dish and she had not meant to insult a national dish at all.

[embed]https://twitter.com/KatieMorley_/status/1217740371226169345[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/kmarl__/status/1217748109125545984[/embed]

Meanwhile, friendlier Twitter users invited Morley to try the real dish in Malaysia and suggested some places she could check out.

Interestingly enough, her controversial comments caught the attention of Darren Cronian, a YouTuber who travelled 6,000 miles from Athens, Greece to Malaysia last October just to eat Nasi Lemak, all because he chanced upon a photo of the enticing dish on Instagram.

He jokingly shared his story with Morley and wrote, "Katie, the Malaysians are very passionate about their food."

[embed]https://twitter.com/remotedarren/status/1217751791883997184[/embed]

Last year, McDonald's Malaysia ignited a food fight with Singapore after they released an advertisement claiming that they had the better Nasi Lemak.

And let's not forget the time the entire nation went into an uproar when a judge on Masterchef criticised a contestant's nasi lemak dish for not having crispy chicken rendang.

rainercheung@asiaone.com