The first time I tasted a Filipino kinilaw, a dish of raw seafood dressed in vinegar and coconut milk, I immediately thought of a Latin American ceviche, which I’ve had a lot of. Human nature has it that we’ll invariably compare new things with the stuff we’re familiar with. It's all good if these comparisons are done in a way to help us wrap our heads around dishes we’ve never had before. But when people take this too far… man.
We’re bloody lucky to be living in a foodie wonderland, with a wealth of cuisines – and food trends – at our doorsteps. Yet, instead of appreciating something new for what it is, I see so many of us referring to Spanish croquetas as Malay begedils and Filipino lechon as Cantonese roast pork. When a diner uses a dish they know as the fundamental basis for the evaluation of a new dish’s taste and price, that's not exactly fair.
I’ve heard a dude rant about his experience at an Italian restaurant: how it was 'such a rip-off' because his ravioli reminded him of 'wonton I can get at the kopitiam', and how his partner's tagliatelle 'tasted just like mee pok with hardly any liao (Hokkien for ‘toppings’)’. I shudder to think how many fish balls and sambal he expected on that plate of pasta.
It was a similar woe for the lady boss of a now-defunct Thai eatery I used to frequent. Her source of pride was a family recipe for pad siew, a sweet, sticky Thai fried noodle dish somewhat similar in appearance to our local char kway teow. The menu even spelt out how it was ‘same same but different’. Sadly, some local punters took to social media saying that the pad siew was 'like a char kway teow minus the hum', and therefore declared, 'give me char kway teow over this any day'. It baffles me to think of why people would attempt to rate this Thai dish against their own local one when they aren’t even the same thing.
Think of it this way: ravioli has never been and will never aspire to be wontons. They might look and feel the same, but for f***'s sake they are different things by different people from different countries. And just because a wonton is the closest local cousin of ravioli doesn't mean we should all expect Italian restaurants to sell their ravioli at $3 for a plate of six. Peace.
Show Bjorn some love at Bird Bird at 18 Ann Siang Rd.