Singapore food or Malaysia food better? KL-based Singaporean actor Hisyam Hamid weighs in on perennial debate
Actor Hisyam Hamid's take on the culinary rivalry amid Kuala Lumpur stay and film premiere
Much like the long-running television series Grey’s Anatomy (with 20 seasons), the debate between Singaporeans and Malaysians about which country has the best food doesn’t seem to have an end in sight.
This time, a slightly more objective voice is sharing his thoughts on the matter. After all, Singaporean actor Hisyam Hamid is based in Kuala Lumpur for work and spends a good portion of his time there.
The 38-year-old was in town last week to promote his new comedy film "La Luna", where a newly opened lingerie shop sends a conservative (and religious) village into a frenzy.
Hisyam plays an abusive husband (Pa’at) while Malaysian actress Nadiya Nisaa plays his wife, Yam. The Singapore-Malaysia co-production also stars Shaheizy Sam and Sharifah Amani in the lead roles.
Malaysian food comforts as halal variety flourishes
When asked if the food in Malaysia is actually better than Singapore’s, during an interview with the local media, the 38-year-old admitted that he feels “more comfortable” over there because of the “wider variety” of food choices available to him as a Muslim.
He explained to Yahoo Southeast Asia, “For example, you go to a Japanese sukiya steamboat restaurant, it’s halal there, but here it’s not, you see. There’s so many food outlets that are halal there and it’s not halal here.”
Hisyam also pointed out that Mamak cuisine is readily available in Malaysia and it’s something he prefers.
“Mamak is like the way of life, it’s like a lifestyle there. Like, you can be hungry at 12, 1am, and you can just go and lepak mamak and have like probably roti canai, your roti prata, and your teh tarik. But, that’s not really available here so much,” he added.
Singapore holds the crown in select dishes
It’s all about the balance, though, as he shared that there are still certain dishes – such as chilli crab – which Singapore does better.
This isn’t the first time a celebrity has weighed in on the food debate with Malaysia coming out on top.
Back in August, Malaysian rapper Namewee published a YouTube video ranking popular holiday destinations based on five categories. While he ranked both Malaysia and Singapore equally in terms of overall holiday appeal, the rapper felt that the former had better food.
But, he also credited Singapore with making Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine famous globally.
"Their promotion is really good. Malaysians can't do it. We only quarrel online with people everyday," he quipped.
La Luna opens in cinemas Thursday (16 November).
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