Think Before You Comment

I was watching a few vlogs on YouTube from this lovely British couple whom named themselves Travel Beans these few days and I was appalled by the reaction and comments by some of the viewers on one of their vlogs in which they tried eating Malaysia's local kuih-muih 

Kuih is bite-sized snack or dessert foods originating from Singapore and Malaysia. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cakes, cookies, dumplings, pudding, biscuits, or pastries in English and are usually made from rice or glutinous rice-- Wikipedia

In the vlog, the British couple tried some of the kuih which they bought inside a shopping mall and unfortunately, they didn't like some of it and even spat out one which they really couldn't eat it due to its texture and taste.

Many viewers commented by saying they were being disrespectful to the local food, and that they are being rude by spitting out the food and using the word "disgusting" in the video. Well, I can understand that it may not be a pleasant thing to watch someone spitting out the food that you like and to hear such negative reviews about your local food but in my opinion, these viewers don't really have to react in such manner by calling people rude and disrespectful.

First of all, they were just giving their true opinion on the food they tried and I can absolutely understand how hard it would be to swallow something which your tastebud finds it difficult to accept into your body. Personally, I applaud for them being honest with their reviews on the food rather than trying to sugarcoat it and give a false impression in front of the camera just for the sake of winning likes from the viewers.

Not everyone likes the same food, everyone has their personal liking, preference and each individual has his own tastebud. Some people likes spicy food, but most people cannot handle it. Some likes it salty, some likes it sweet. As a conclusion, when it comes to food and taste, it's a personal preference.

Do you have to be so harsh on foreigners who didn't like your local food? I mean, what's wrong with you people? You can't force every foreign tourist to come to your country to like all your food, right? What if the scenario is the other way round? What if you travel to another country and you didn't like the local food there and you're being called rude and disrespectful to their local food just because you didn't like it? How would you feel? Think about it.

Nevertheless, this British couple was so nice to give it another try by tasting the kuih again in another vlog, but this time buying from a famous kuih seller whom made his kuih fresh everyday after some commentators suggest that they shouldn't buy kuih from a shopping mall or shop, that they should buy from someone who makes it fresh.

This time, the couple liked most of the kuih they bought and didn't like some. Well, once again, I applaud for their willingness to try a second time even though they had a bad experience the first time. Not many people would want to try a second time if the first time was bad.

What I realised was that this couple didn't know the ingredients in each kuih and why it was in this shape, texture, and colours. Therefore, it seems a little risky for them to try something which they do not know anything about it for the very first time. If someone could explains the ingredients and how it's made for each kuih, I'm sure they would learn to appreciate it.

Have you tried something new and foreign in another country? What if no one told you what was used in the food? Would you try it?