Man says M'sian food beats S'pore's at 1/3 the price, sparks viral debate
A Malaysian living abroad has set social media ablaze with a fiery take on food that's dividing netizens across borders.
Brent Farris, a Malaysian who frequently travels between the two countries, says on Facebook that he's been holding in for years — and he didn't hold back.
ALSO READ: S'porean MP claims hawker meals in Singapore twice as cheap as KL's, praises quality
'Here goes. I'm going to say something quite controversial. If it offends you, I apologize in advance. Ok, I'm not sorry.
'Anything you can find in Singapore (food wise) you can find it in Malaysia for 1/3rd the price and tastes better,' he wrote.
'And, Singapore's national fruit is the durian. I'm sure they love durian, but they don't grow any. Malaysia originated it and the durian from Malaysia is better than any durian grown anywhere in the world. Sorry Thailand.
'There, I said it. Whew that feels like a weight has been lifted. I've been wanting to say this for years,' the caption read.
The post quickly went viral, striking a chord with Malaysians who echoed his sentiments — and drawing the ire of some Singaporean commenters who disagreed with his post.
While some applauded him for 'finally saying what many Malaysians were thinking,' others called the post 'needlessly provocative,' sparking a fresh round of the age-old Malaysia vs. Singapore food rivalry.
One user, Isabel Kang commented: It's just different preferences in seasoning. Malaysians prefer a heavier dose hence the food tastes 'nicer'. Singaporeans are used to a milder, blander palate due to our 'healthier choice.'
'And no, we all know we don't grow any durians commercially and I don't recall it being our national fruit. We have no national fruit. Go get a life.'
'Singaporean here. As much as it pains me to say so, he's right in saying that food in Malaysia is generally (though not always!) better. It certainly is far more economical, which is why so many of us come over just to eat!' Huang Eu Chai wrote.
'This is not controversial at all because it's cold hard facts,' Tengku Nuruddeen chimed in.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Anwar begins working visits to Italy, France and Brazil from Tuesday
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will undertake a series of visits to three countries – Italy, France, and Brazil – beginning July 1. This series of visits by the Prime Minister, beginning with a three-day working visit to Italy starting today, is part of Malaysia's ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and promote economic cooperation at the global level. Malaysia's Ambassador to Italy, Datuk Zahid Rastam, noted that the Prime Minister's inaugural visit to Italy is being undertaken at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "This visit is expected to further strengthen bilateral relations between Malaysia and Italy across a wide range of sectors. It also reflects the government's commitment to exploring new initiatives in trade and investment, as well as cooperation in defence, energy, and agro-commodities," he told reporters in Malaysia via Google Meet from Rome on Monday. According to Wisma Putra, the Prime Minister will attend the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a partner country in the bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Zahid stated that during the visit to Italy, the Prime Minister will be accompanied by five Cabinet ministers: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Khaled Nordin, and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. Also part of the delegation is Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir. According to Zahid, the Prime Minister will also be accompanied by relevant senior government officials and a corporate delegation comprising representatives from 13 Malaysian companies across various sectors. He said the Prime Minister and his delegation are expected to arrive at Fiumicino Airport in Rome at approximately 7.50pm today, and that he is scheduled to host an engagement session with the Malaysian diaspora in Italy later that evening. Meanwhile, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra), the Prime Minister is scheduled to officiate the "Malaysia–Italy Economic Partnership Roundtable" on July 2, which will be attended by industry leaders to discuss potential collaboration in bilateral trade and investment. The roundtable meeting will involve more than 50 companies, associations, and industry representatives from both Malaysia and Italy. On the same day, the Prime Minister will hold meetings with Imam Yahya Pallavicini, Vice President of the Comunita Religiosa Islamica Italiana (COREIS), and Abdellah Redouane, Secretary-General of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy and the Mosque of Rome. According to Zahid, on Thursday, July 3, the Prime Minister will be interviewed by Rai News 24, a leading and influential television news network in Italy. In the interview, the Prime Minister is expected to speak on bilateral relations between Malaysia and Italy, trade and investment matters, as well as Malaysia's role as Chair of Asean 2025, he said. He further said that at midday on July 3, Anwar is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Meloni at Chigi Palace. According to the Wisma Putra statement, the meeting provides an opportunity for both leaders to assess the progress of Malaysia–Italy relations and explore new areas of cooperation, particularly in economic, defence technology, and energy fields. Both sides are also expected to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including the Asean–Italy Development Partnership, Asean–European Union Dialogue Relations, and the situation in the Middle East. The Prime Minister will also outline Malaysia's priorities for its Asean Chairmanship in 2025, as well as Asean's efforts in addressing regional and global challenges. Zahid noted that the Prime Minister's visit to Italy is highly significant, reflecting the close ties between the two countries. During the visit, both leaders will reaffirm their countries' commitment to strengthening bilateral relations through more comprehensive cooperation. Zahid added that the visit would provide the mandate and momentum to elevate Malaysia–Italy bilateral relations towards a more strategic partnership in the future. He said the visit as a whole will serve as a platform for the Prime Minister to articulate Malaysia's foreign policy, particularly the country's stance on regional and global issues on the international stage, while also highlighting Malaysia's current Asean Chairmanship. The Wisma Putra statement noted that the longstanding bilateral relations between Malaysia and Italy remain strong and mutually beneficial, underpinned by sustained growth in trade and investment, as well as deepening people-to-people connectivity. It also stated that in 2024, total trade between Malaysia and Italy rose by 2 per cent to RM14.61 billion (US$3.18 billion) compared to 2023. For the period of January to May 2025, total trade continued to show a positive performance, rising by 3.3 per cent to RM6.50 billion (US$1.48 billion) compared to the same period in 2024. Italy is Malaysia's fifth-largest trading partner among European Union countries and the third-largest importer of Malaysian palm oil from the bloc in 2024, according to the statement. The Prime Minister will depart for France to undertake an official visit on July 3 and 4, following the conclusion of his visit to Italy. - BERNAMA
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Anwar set for maiden three-day visit to Italy to boost ties
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to undertake a three-day working visit to Italy, his first to the country, according to a statement from Wisma Putra. The statement said that the visit, from July 1 to 3, is at the invitation of his counterpart, Giorgia Meloni. He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. According to Wisma Putra, during the visit, the Prime Minister is slated to hold a bilateral meeting with Meloni at the Chigi Palace in Rome on July 3. "This meeting provides an opportunity for both leaders to assess the progress of Malaysia-Italy relations and explore new cooperation opportunities, especially in the fields of economy, defence technology, and energy," the statement read. Asean and Global Outlook Both parties will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including the Asean-Italy Development Partner Relations, Asean-European Union Dialogue Relations, and the situation in the Middle East. "The Prime Minister will also outline Malaysia's priorities during its Asean Chairmanship in 2025 and Asean's efforts in addressing regional and global challenges," it added. Wisma Putra informed that the Prime Minister is also scheduled to officiate the "Malaysia-Italy Economic Partnership Roundtable," which will be attended by Malaysian and Italian industry leaders to discuss cooperation opportunities in bilateral investment and trade on July 2. Additionally, Anwar is slated to attend a meeting with Muslim community leaders in Italy and a get-together with the Malaysian diaspora. The long-standing bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Italy is strong and mutually beneficial, supported by continuous growth in trade and investment, as well as people-to-people connectivity. Last year, total trade between Malaysia and Italy recorded a two per cent increase to RM14.61 billion (US$3.18 billion) compared to 2023. For the period of January to May this year, total trade continued to show positive performance with a 3.3 per cent increase to RM6.50 billion (US$1.48 billion) compared to the same period in 2024. Italy is Malaysia's fifth-largest trading partner among European Union countries and the third-largest importer of Malaysian palm oil from the bloc for 2024.
Malaysia Sun
5 hours ago
- Malaysia Sun
Clear failures, no fixes: The Government's asylum blind spot
Despite a dramatic shift in who is seeking asylum in Australia, the Government remains unwilling to fix the systems it knows are failing, writes DrAbul Rizvi. WHILE THE BACKLOG of asylum seekers at the Administrative Review Tribunal (A.R.T.) boomed from around 2016, it has now both stabilised (mainly due to additional funding for the AAT/A.R.T. allocated in 2023) at around 43,000 and its composition has changed markedly. From 2016, asylum seekers appealing their refusal decisions boomed (see Chart 1). A figure caption for your reading pleasure That boom was driven by a massive labour trafficking scam out of Malaysia and China, appealing their Department of Home Affairs (DHA) refusals to the A.R.T. (see Chart 2). A figure caption for your reading pleasure In 2017-18, around 67% of primary asylum applications were from Malaysian and Chinese nationals. With international borders re-opening in early 2022, the labour trafficking scam appears not to have resumed. Primary asylum applications from Malaysian and Chinese nationals fell to around 14% in 2022-23 and are likely to have fallen to just over 10% in 2023-24 (for some reason, DHA has not published the full year data for 2023-24). That has enabled the A.R.T. to gradually reduce the backlog of asylum cases from these two nationalities. Asylum applications on hand at the A.R.T. from Malaysian nationals have fallen from around 15,000 in mid-2022 to less than 6,000 in May 2025. Those from Chinese nationals have fallen from over 9,000 in September 2023 to just over 8,000 in May 2025. New primary and appeal asylum applications from Chinese nationals remain strong but are not at the levels pre-pandemic. Asylum applications on hand at the A.R.T. from Thai, Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals have remained relatively stable. The number of asylum seekers refused at both the primary and appeal stages and still not departed exceeded 50,000 at end March 2025. The big increases have come from: India rising from 658 in June 2020 to 5,711 in May 2025; Vietnam rising from 1,510 in June 2020 to 4,982 in May 2025; Indonesia rising from 436 in June 2020 to 2,805 in May 2025; and the Philippines rising from 317 in June 2021 to 2,144 in May 2025. Nationals from all four of these nations have very low primary approval rates and very low set-aside rates at the A.R.T. But it is asylum applications on hand at the A.R.T. from Pacific nationals and in particular nations providing labour under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (P.A.L.M.) scheme that have grown most dramatically (see Chart 3). A figure caption for your reading pleasure Asylum seekers from these nations also have very low primary approval rates and very low set aside rates at the AAT/A.R.T. They are largely running away from exploitative employers in Australia and seeking to extend their stay by abusing the asylum system. They really have no choice as their chances of securing a permanent visa through the lottery-based Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) are negligible. They are also facingvery high death and injury rateswhile in Australia due to accidents both in the workplace and away from the workplace. Both the P.A.L.M. visa and the PEV desperately need a serious redesign. But there appears to be little inclination in the Government to pursue this. The agriculture visa for Pacific Island nationals has been a dismal failure from the beginning, resulting in exploitation bordering on slavery and even fatalities, writes Dr Abul Rizvi. DrAbulRizviisan Independent Australia columnistanda former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration. You can follow Abul@RizviAbul. Related Articles
