by Satish Cheney
inSing.com - 25 July 2012 5:05 PM | Updated 10:03
PM
It might just be a food fight between neighbours, but this
street food 'war' to be king has now involved politicians.
According to The Star, Barisan Nasional Chairman Teng Chang Yeow
and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng are standing firmly united
in their defence of Penang food and the city’s hawkers. Both are
known not to usually see eye-to-eye.
They and other Penang hawkers are upset after Singapore was
ranked in front of the Malaysian city known for its street food in
an online survey conducted by VirturalTourist.com.
The survey ranked the top ten street food destinations in the
world with food fans choosing Bangkok as the ultimate food
destination, with the Lion City coming in second and Penang,
third.
The fact that Singapore pipped Penang is fanning the flames of
foodies’ discontent.
The newspaper quoted Chief Minister Lim as saying: “Comparing
Penang food to that of Singapore is like comparing Mount Everest to
a hill.”
“They come here for our food and not the other way around. We
seldom hear of Penangites going to Singapore to try out their
food,” added Barisan Nasional Chairman Teng to the Malaysian
newspaper.
Tan Yung Yih who is the co-founder of popular Singaporean food
website HungryGoWhere.com agrees with the Penangites.
“Penang street food has generally wowed me more often than
Singapore street food. I think it’s really down to motivation
– a small operator who is essentially the boss versus someone
working in a kopitiam chain who may not be as passionate about this
line of work,” he said.
However, inSing’s Food and Drink editor, Celine Asril takes a
different stance from Mr Tan.
“Singapore wins Penang, hands down,” she said.
“Yes, as a Singaporean I might be biased, but aren’t food
preferences in themselves subjective? They boil down to what you
grew up with, and I am accustomed to the Singaporean food flavours
and intensities,” she added.
The debate has also sparked an outcry over the origins of some
of the classic dishes found in both cities.
56-year-old Goh See Wah who is the owner of Hainanese chicken
rice stall in Georgetown told The Star that his grandfather had
mentioned to him that when some of the Hainanese emigrated from
China, they arrived in Penang first before some chose to settle
down in Singapore.
“I have tourists from Asian countries as well as western
countries telling me that the chicken rice here is unbeatable,” he
was reported as saying.
Lam Tong Ying, the President of the Federation of Penang and
Seberang Prai Hawkers Association insisted that many local dishes
Singaporeans enjoy originated from Penang.
“In Singapore, the hawkers call their dishes ‘Penang Char Kway
Teow’ and ‘Penang Laksa’. This shows that the food originated from
Penang so we should be the number one city for the best hawker
food,” he told The Star.
Ms Poh Leng Yu who works in public relations in Singapore, is
planning a trip to Penang soon – mostly for the food.
“Stalls are usually manned by the Penang locals who take much
pride in their cooking; unlike Singapore where some of our food
stalls are run by foreigners,” she told inSing News.
“My sister was working in Penang for a short stint a few years
ago. We looked forward to her trips home as her luggage would be
filled with plastic packets of chee cheong fun that she bought from
a street stall near her work place,” she added.
So, what’s your take? Which city has the best street food?
