Adding M’sia to the world food map
Published on: Sunday, November 14, 2021
By: James Sarda
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The Malaysian pavillion at the Dubai Expo 2020 features fare by a Malaysian fast food operator besides another offering Nasi Lemak, curry puffs and Kueh Seri Muka.
Admitting he doesn’t know if such support was indeed provided by governments of other countries, he says this may be necessary considering that Malaysians “are late starters” generally.
Apparently a reference to the many countries being represented at the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020, which have brought along their own food kitchens, as these events provide an opportunity to showcase what a nation’s traditional and popular flavours are about.
“Our food is good but we sit and do nothing. We are complacent. Then Singapore starts claiming everything.
“There is great potential for sure. I haven’t been here long enough, but based on how they enjoyed that (laksa) dish, I think there is so much more of Malaysian food they would like to try,” he said, after a cooking demonstration at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) in the United Arab Emirates.
The SIBF which is into its 40th edition, is the world’s leading book fair, attracting the world’s top publishers and giants of the literary world.
This year’s special guests include Nobel Prize Winner Abdulrazak Gurnah and talk show host Trevor Noah. It is the brainchild of the Sultan of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. Daily Express has been a regular media guest for several years.
The event this time is coinciding with the Dubai Expo 2020 which is the world’s third most premier event after the World Cup and Olympics. The six-month expo was supposed to open last year but was postponed till this October due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our government has got to play an active role (in promoting Malaysian food to outside audiences),” said Sherson.
“Support locals interested in opening restaurants like in Dubai because you are not giving them free business.
“In a way you are using these people who are going out there to advocate Malaysian food.
“Right now, what we see is people who want to come to open here. But where is the support from the Government?”
The Malaysian pavillion at the Dubai Expo 2020 features fare by a Malaysian fast food operator besides another offering Nasi Lemak, curry puffs and Kueh Seri Muka.
A fellow Malaysian journalist who visited the Expo remarked that it was a pity visitors were introduced to fast food like fried chicken which they can easily get at any of the thousands of similar outlets in the emirates instead of authentic dishes from the likes of Madam Kwan, for instance.
A case in point was the Thai pavillion at the expo which was doing a roaring business offering a multitude of Thai dishes, instead of fast food. So did other nations.
When pointed out, Sherson said he had no idea what the Malaysian pavillion at the expo offered but that Malaysians were willing to play the role of being food ambassadors if there was government support.
He drew a parallel between K-pop culture and Korean food which is taking the world by storm. “Korea used K-pop culture as a vehicle to introduce the world to their food.
“When the K-pop culture hit us, suddenly you saw Korean restaurants opening up everywhere. Surely, it was bigger than one Korean owner opening a restaurant. It’s a movement.
“We need government help for the funding to go to the right people who are willing.”
Sherson said his restaurant back home was badly hit by the one-and-half year Covid-19 lockdowns and at one stage thought of closing shop altogether.
It was doing very well pre-Covid and managed to hang on till May, this year.
That was when it either had to cease for good or for three months so as to return to fight another day.
“Our staff understood the situation. We reached our limit where we had to take care of ourselves first.”
There were plans to expand his restaurant by opening outlets and was glad he didn’t make the decision. “We also had opportunities to collaborate with big brands pre-Covid but they didn’t turn out. It was a blessing in disguise.”
When pointed out that other food business did take off during the pandemic, he said that’s because they catered for the mass market and not a niche market for slightly more gourmet food like his.
“The chicken rice shops were flying as well as the nasi lemak shops. They are staples and based on a different business model.
“Ours was a bar restaurant that don’t do takeouts. The delivery is also not cheap. It would have made our food more expensive.”
The fare offered at his restaurant back home is Northern Indian with the clientele being older and not millennials.
“They are loyal and we made sure not to follow any trends because trends are a model that you need to calculate well.
“It’s not just about cooking anymore but about numbers. Who is first and how early or late you are in the game,” he said, adding that it was too volatile.
Operating for four years and having cooked thousands of dishes locally and in demonstrations abroad, he realised that people liked to be comfortable with what they were eating.
“Comfort food worked for us and there was 10 per cent increase in revenue year-on-year.”
He also makes it clear that where healthy food is concerned, it is about the choice you make and not what the restaurant serves.
A favourite at his restaurant was mutton briyani fried rice Chinese-style.
He feels this is also true in Malaysia where eating out 24 hours is the norm in many places. It calls for both moderation and choice.
Shearson, who has his own YouTube channel, thinks Halal food would grow as it becomes more accessible. “You are going to have more options under the Halal label. It’s become so important to be Halal-certified and it is inevitable that things are going in that direction.
“I’m excited because Malaysians can be confident to try out larger varieties of food. There will be more options for Muslims in particular.”
Sherson picked up his culinary skills from being forced to help out in the family cooking when small and credits his mum and the TV show he hosted for a decade for his success.
He said the TV show helped him mature not just as a person but as a cook.
The skills part started with having to peel onions and the like. He didn’t enjoy it, but it sparked his interest to know the secrets behind mum’s cooking. “That’s when my mum began imparting a lot of the knowledge.
“It’s not just the recipes but the cooking instincts. Recipes are just a square frame.
“When you have cooking instincts, you move beyond that frame and I give her credit for developing both.”
On why he chose laksa at the cooking demonstration at the SIBF, Shearson said he had to decide whether to do a rice or a noodle dish.
“I wanted to introduce them to something new, which was not common to them and laksa is a pride and joy of most Malaysians. Every state in Malaysia has its version, be it Johore, Penang, Sarawak and you even have the Malay and Chinese version. It is fascinating.”
But what he was not prepared for was that belacan, a key ingredient in making laksa, would be easily available in the UAE and had to settle for the Filipino version, balagong.
Sherson: ‘Our food is good but we sit and do nothing. We are complacent.’
Sherson picked up his culinary skills from being forced to help out in the family cooking when small and credits his mum and the TV show he hosted for a decade for his success.
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