Parents of boomers, in a fit of anger, would back in the day utter all sorts of deprecating words to lash out at their imps.
"Saang gau caa siu hou gwo saang nei," was such a phrase in Cantonese, which means "it is better to give birth to barbecued pork than to give birth to you".
But parents have over the years ditched such toxic behaviour as they adopt a more nurturing style of parenting.
Famous Chinese restaurant Crystal Jade, however, does not seem to have received the memo.
The chain, which boasts scoring the Michelin star and Bib Gourmand among its accolades, is offering free barbecued pork to parents who would utter the Cantonese phrase to their child.
"Which public relations agency is behind this?" questions Eighteen Chefs founder Benny Se Teo.
His sentiment is echoed by many other netizens in the Facebook group Complaint Singapore, calling the marketing campaign "toxic" and saying "it is not funny at all".
Netizen Carol Sim suggested that the restaurant could have picked another phrase for the promotion.
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According to Crystal Jade Singapore's Facebook post on April 29: "Jokes and naggings aside, Crystal Jade wishes all families a joyous Parents’ Day season! To celebrate Parents' Day in a light-hearted manner, we’re granting your wish by giving out FREE Roasted Honey BBQ Pork (worth $14.50) this May and June."
The post, unlike the sharing in the Complaint Singapore group, was well-received – garnering 410 "likes" and 17 shares, and positive 15 comments.
TNP has reached out to Crystal Jade Singapore for comments.
This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.
