Banana leaf Hermes bag resurfaces as a meme in Asia because street food

It's been six years since designer Jean-Paul Gaultier trundled out that banana leaf bag "inspired by the tropics," but people still can't get over how much it looks like a pack of street food.

The clutch, which was part of a 2010 couture collection for fashion house Hermes, is pretty much the exact size and shape of a parcel of banana leaf-wrapped food that you can find on the streets of Southeast Asia.

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The Thais use the fragrant leaf to wrap desserts such as sticky rice and custard. In Malaysia, it looks like a takeaway pack of nasi lemak — the country's national dish that consists of coconut rice, chicken, egg, peanuts, anchovies and sambal chili.

It looks a lot like this:

This is what's in the pack, by the way:

The meme has surfaced yet again thanks to an article in Malaysia's World of Buzz.

Earlier this year, Thai-language publication Spokedark TV also featured it.

The bag has gone viral on social media, fuelled by the amusement of many Southeast Asians.

Image: hardwarezone

Earlier this year, Thai users reacted similarly: 

And back in 2014:

Gaultier, who left Hermes in 2010 after seven years at the helm as creative director, had reportedly said that the collection was inspired by Mexico, and ancient Inca culture. Uh, and Avatar.

While you might struggle to recall banana trees in Avatar, it's clear that the bag is a dead ringer for the humble pack of nasi lemak.