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?
