PRESMA Says Pork Nasi Kandar Can Cause "Confusion" After Food Influencer Reviews Eatery
This is despite the creator clearly stating that the place is "strictly non-halal".
By Sadho Ram — 30 Oct 2023, 04:34 PM
The Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Entrepreneurs Association (PRESMA) is upset with a video promoting "Malaysia's first pork nasi kandar and nasi lemak babi" that has gone viral on TikTok
Harian Metro quoted PRESMA president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan as saying that the dish is "an insult to the nasi kandar industry" in Malaysia, which was pioneered by Muslim restaurant owners decades ago.
Jawahar claimed that the video can cause "confusion among the public".
This is despite the caption of the original video, which was uploaded on both TikTok and Instagram, clearly stating that the place is "strictly non-halal".
"PRESMA believes that this will create confusion among customers and nasi kandar enthusiasts in the country while portraying a negative image of this popular dish," he said, adding that nasi kandar dishes in all its member premises are halal.
There are over 10,000 premises registered with PRESMA.
The video, which was uploaded sometime last week, shows a girl introducing her viewers to the nasi kandar stall in Damansara Jaya
In the video, the uploader, @eat.with.aishwarrya, shared the name of the stall, Pumbaa's.
A Google check of the name by SAYS showed that the stall is located in Good Old Days Restaurant & Bar 老祖屋, with the stall's name clearly mentioning that it's a non-halal eatery.
According to the video review, Pumbaa's is operated by Suresh Gnanasekaran, who until recently also ran Kadei by Manchula in Taman Megah, which specialised in South Indian cuisine "spiced the Malaysian way"
"I was so excited to try out Mr Suresh's new venture, especially with the added porky touch to it and it did not disappoint. I was so hyped up for it because where can you find a non-halal nasi kandar, right?" the creator said.
She praised the curries while describing the pork varuval as delicious.
At the time of writing, her video has gone viral with over 200,000 views on TikTok and more than 100,000 views on Instagram. On both platforms, the video has also garnered hundreds of comments.
