Singaporeans can’t eat McNuggets without Curry Sauce

Posted on November 15, 2011 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Curry sauce will be back:McDonald’s', 15 Nov 2011, article by Jessica Lim, ST

CURRY-SAUCE lovers are up in arms over the unavailability of the dip at McDonald’s outlets. The fast-food chain started facing a shortage of the sauce – which is exclusive to Singapore – two weeks ago, but most outlets ran out only over the past weekend. The shortage led to fans going online to air their grievances.

Most hoped their favourite dip would make a return, and others called for a boycott of the fast-food chain. One consumer even started a petition on Facebook. Complaints started appearing on the McDonald’s Singapore Facebook page last Wednesday. Hundreds more poured in over the weekend.

…Its (McDonald’s) curry sauce is the fast-food chain’s most popular chicken nugget sauce here, and has been available for more than 20 years. Supplies come from the United States.

…Facebook user Firdaus Humphrey said: ‘I won’t be tucking in to my McChicken and McSpicy till the curry comes home.’ ‘I cannot live without curry sauce!’ exclaimed netizen Jorena Tan.

…Mr Charles Lim, 29, said he would still eat at McDonald’s, curry sauce or not, but he would be ‘sad’ without it. ‘It’s an essential part of every McDonald’s meal for me. I use it for fries and nuggets,’ said the graphic designer, who found out about the shortage when he asked for the sauce at a Tampines outlet last week. ‘It makes my McDonald’s meal Singaporean. It’s been around since we were young.’

Others such as Mr Pyi Soe, 32, were less bothered. ‘I don’t feel anything. If there is no curry sauce then I will just use chilli sauce instead,’ said the engineer from Myanmar. ‘Why is it such a big deal?’

There’s no doubt that the curry dip is just about the best thing about Chicken McNuggets. Mac’s nuggets were DESIGNED for dipping; just look how each piece is precision-cut to tuck nicely into the sauce container. It’s a classic food-condiment pairing like fish and chips with tartar sauce, roti prata and gravy, pulau hitam and coconut milk. You just can’t have one without the other, and I have never tasted a McNugget on its own, nor do I ever intend to. Rumour has it that it tastes nothing like chicken, but neither does the indispensable sauce taste anything like curry as we know it. You could say the nugget, with its deep fried texture, is merely the vessel for the sauce, that you could dip styrofoam tempura in the same sauce and not tell the difference. This outrage over a temporary out of stock situation not only proves  that we have a curry sauce addiction, but also that Singaporeans eat Macs WAY too often. Or maybe it’s all ‘Cook a Pot of Curry’‘s fault.

In my opinion, the closest ‘curry’ that the Mac’s classic resembles would be sweet Japanese curry. But let’s analyse the ingredients: Mac’s Curry Sauce vs an off-the-shelf Instant Japanese Curry Mix.

Mac’s Curry sauce: Water, sugar, soy sauce, maltodextrin, peanuts, modified corn starch, vegetable oil, spices, onion (dehydrated), citric acid, chili pepper, salt, garlic (dehydrated), MSG, curry FLAVOR, potassium sorbate (preservative), xanthan gum, titanium dioxide, extractives of paprika.

S&B Golden Curry Instant: Vegetables (potato, carrot, onion), edible oils (palm oil, canola oil, soybean oil), wheat flour, sugar, salt, curry powder, spices, monosodium glutamate (flavor enhancer), caramel color, powdered Worcestershire sauce, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (soybean), malic acid, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, calcium lactate.

What’s unusual about Mac’s curry sauce compared to your supermarket  instant fodder, other than the vague ‘spices’, is that it has curry ‘flavor’ (product of U.S) instead of ‘powder’. We don’t even know if it’s ‘natural’ or ‘artificial’, as required by the FDA for food labelling. It also contains a common food dye Titanium Dioxide, a chemical you also find in sunblock lotions. Which casts doubt on whether Mac’s curry sauce contains any actual CURRY at all, or is it really modified lab goo. It also has peanuts, which explains the hint of satay gravy in it. I find it strange to dip fries in curry sauce, but apparently Singaporeans love the taste so much they would even smother their lettuce with it, or smuggle it into BK and secretly use it for onion rings. But wait, what do the Americans know about curry and why are we calling the McNugget and curry symphony ‘Singaporean’ at all?

Enough about the sauce, what about the McNugget itself? I’ll leave it up to fans to decide on how much chicken they think each nugget contains, looking at the listing below according to Wikipedia. I’m not sure if it’s meat anymore, or washing detergent.

Chicken, water, salt, sodium phosphates. Battered and breaded with bleached wheat flour, water, wheat flour, modified food starch, salt, spices, wheat gluten, paprika, dextrose (sugar), yeast, garlic powder, rosemary, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and cottonseed oil with mono- and diglycerides, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, ammonium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), natural flavor (plant source) with extractives of paprika

The closest rival to a McNugget today would be KFC’s ‘Popcorn’ chicken, though BK has also ventured into the miniature-chicken market with their Chicken Tenders. A blind, sauceless, taste test would determine which fast food giant produces the best grade chicken finger food, before we may conclude with confidence that the McNugget is nothing without its dipping sauces. The first nuggets (imported from US as well) arrived in 1983 with the basic tomato and chilli accompaniments, stirring a ‘chicken war’ between Macs and KFC.  According to Mac’s nutritional chart, a typical Chicken McNugget meal takes up 338 kCal and has more cholesterol than a Hot Cakes with Sausage. But that’s excluding the effect of the sauces, which could easily bump up the calories, looking at how Singaporeans are gobbling the dips up. According to this Fatsecret website, the amount of calories in Curry Sauce (assuming it’s the same as what we’re eating) is 45 kcal per serving. Assuming the average McNugget lover could easily use up 2 packs for a 9 piece meal, this works out to be about 430 kCal in total (probably a conservative figure), putting it on par with the Double Cheeseburger (433 kCal). And that’s excluding fries and soft drinks.

Nonetheless, this is yet another unintentionally viral promotion of Macs and its signature sauce,  a conglomerate which has a knack of flipping complaints and bad news to their advantage, whether it’s a trivial out of stock situation or the withdrawal of pig Doraemons from their CNY promotions. But one thing’s for certain, whether calorie-loaded or tasting like Fab in satay sauce aside, Singaporeans are still ‘lovin’ it’ anyway.

About these ads

Filed under: 1980s, 2011, Bloggers, Fast food, Local food | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Subway sues nonya kueh chain

Posted on October 5, 2011 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Sandwich chain Subway sues S’porean company Subway niche’, 5 oct 2011, article by Selina Lum, ST

The American owner of the Subway chain of sandwich shops has sued the boss of local nonya kueh chain Subway Niche for trademark infringement. A two-day hearing into the case began in the High Court on Tuesday.

Subway, owned by Florida-based Doctor’s Associates, has been selling sandwiches since 1967 and has become the world’s largest fastfood chain with 34,891 stores in 98 countries. The American company started legal action after it became aware that Subway Niche has begun selling sandwiches. It contends that there is a real likelihood that the public will be confused by the similar marks.

But Subway Niche sole proprietor Lim Eng Wah says ‘subway’ is a common English word. He also asserts that there is no conceptual similarity. As his first outlet was at the basement of Wisma Atria (in 1987) near the Orchard MRT station, the idea behind his business name was to attract MRT commuters. On the other hand, Subway’s name has its roots in the submarine sandwiches that they sell.

Subway Nicked

As hard as it is to believe that Subway, with its fattening cookies-and-chips sides and high-calorie soda beverages, was founded by an American DOCTOR in the late sixties, the fact remains that the ‘little guy’ Subway niche was here first, while Subway the fast-food-disguised-as-healthy-alternative-deli  launched its first Singapore store in Lau Pa Sat almost 10 years later in 1996 according to the company website. If Subway niche had appeared after the emergence of the American sandwich giant, I probably wouldn’t fault the latter for thinking Niche was trying to pass off as a Subway ‘Lite’. or ‘Express’. Even if both ‘subways’ referred to the same type of submarine sandwich (Niche maintains that their SUBWAY refers to actual location), one may apply the same logic to ‘branded’ everyday words like ‘pizza’ or ‘fried chicken’ and wonder why PIZZA Hut isn’t sueing California Pizza, KFC Texas Fried Chicken, or Delifrance Sushi DELI,  for ‘confusing’ fast food fans. Incidentally, Niche’s sandwiches are triangle-cut and reminiscent of what Mommy packs for her kid’s lunchbox, while Subway’s are 6 to 10 inch sloppy schlongs, symbolic of the hostile, domineering manner in which they’re ramming this lawsuit down their opponent’s throat.

Fast food giant bullying is nothing new, though the chief instigator of lawsuits McDonald’s hasn’t had much success beating down small businesses for adding a Scottish twist to their brand, like the locally produced instant ‘MacTea/MacNoodles’ trademark battle in 2004, or the McCurry embarrassment in KL, 2009. The same argument applied then, that usurping a brand name would cause ‘deceit or confusion’, as if grocery shoppers in a supermarket or teh-tarik drinkers would think of ‘upsizing their Happy Meals’ every time they see an item starting with Mc or Mac, though the prefix ‘Mc’ has been applied not just to actual products but as a journalistic device to describe anything that reeks of the same time-cutting, capitalist mass-production ethos of the fast food chain, like McChurch, McJob and McPhone (McWords according to wikipedia). More recently a beverage paying homage to a beloved hazelnut spread got coffee chain TCC into a McSUIT for bearing the name Nutello.

It would be a sad day for local enterprise and nonya kueh if the B.M.T (Big McTyrant) wins this case. For the price you pay for a standard sub you could watch a movie on a weekday, or feed two stomachs at a hawker centre. Subway, you’ve already conquered the world with SUB-satisfactory light-bite excuses for lunch, beating even McDonald’s who can’t sell salad dressing the way you do. Go pick on someone your own size already.

Postscript: The sandwich giant lost the suit, with the judge citing ‘very little evidence of confusion among consumers’.

Filed under: 2000s, 2011, Corporations, Fast food, Justice system/Lawsuits, Local food, Names | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

McDonald’s playing Muslim prayers over dinner

Posted on August 19, 2011 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Man complains about Muslim prayers at McDonald’s outlet‘, 19 Aug 2011, article by Faris Mokhtar, sg yahoo news.

A man has generated heated debate online after he posted comments questioning why McDonald’s allowed the Muslim prayers to be played at one of its restaurants. The debate first started after a man known as Alex Chang posted his comments on McDonald’s Facebook wall on Thursday.

He had asked why the fast food giant’s outlets played the Muslim prayers during dinner time at its restaurants. “Can I request to play Buddhism chant on Vesak Day? Please advice,” he asked sarcastically.

…His remarks on the issue drew a few comments explaining that the reason could be Muslims are breaking their fast. In response, Chang said, “Not trying to be disrespectful. But a bit irritating during dinner time. Not respecting other religion(s) at all.”

“By the way, can you tolerate if they play Buddhist chime in the restaurant?” he added.

…Chang issued an apology for his comments, saying that it was not meant to be “racist”. “I would like to apologise for the comment that was posted on the McDonald’s website. It was not meant to be a racist remark which has offended so many people including our Malay friends. Sorry for my ignorance,” he said

‘Alex Chang’ was unwittingly voicing the concerns of non-Muslim diners encountering this oddity but were too afraid to ask, and suffering for it because of a momentary lack of tact. Macs is a certified halal fast food joint and icon of the consumerist Western world. An international conglomerate of its stature broadcasting religious prayers while patrons are tucking into Big Macs just strikes me as rather out of place, nevermind if you’re Buddhist, Muslim or Hindu. It’s like going to a French restaurant and having Waltzing Matilda blasting in your ear, or eating sushi to the mopey sounds of Gregorian monks chanting. Not liking what you hear doesn’t automatically make you a right-wing extremist, and Alex’s careless public rant has become instant, explosive troll-fodder, making LKY’s comment on Muslims’ strict communal eating habits seem as tame as a Grilled Chicken Foldover  in comparison.

It’s  not so much about religious tolerance or racism here, but whether the act of putting such audio on air is compatible with Macs’ behemoth corporate image.  According to Macs, some outlets have chosen to tune in to radio stations other than the ‘standard playlist’. Perhaps it’s only fair that hungry Muslims get to hear the soothing sounds of ‘dinner-time’ prayer during this period of voluntary penance, just as Christians get euphoric listening to Xmas songs with the word ‘Jesus’ in them, where there is a prickly thin line drawn between what is ‘religious’ and what’s merely ‘ethnic’. I haven’t heard what’s being played in Macs myself but unless everyone’s favourite fast food joint and obesity’s bedfellow begins selling ketupats and curry instead of burgers and fries during Ramadan, I don’t see how this is worth starting a tudung saga all over again.  Now that ‘Alex ‘ has taken the flame-bait, and thanks to the rest of the Facebookers giving his McNuggets a good sockin’ even after an apology,  the rest of us who aren’t fans of monotonous chanting of any sort will just avoid Macs during the festivities, which is what everyone who doesn’t want a heart attack should be doing anyway.

I’ve written enough about how Facebook tends to make Hiroshimas out of little dynamite sticks, that it stirs pandemic levels of paranoia whether it’s about ministers’ sons deferring NS or foreign workers insulting Singaporeans, and this episode is no exception. In a related incident during CNY 2010,  Mcdonald’s  chose to remove the Doraemon Zodiac pig toy in order to appease their Muslim diners, offending Chinese customers born in the year of the Pig. I don’t remember if they played any CNY music then. Still, I’m PRAYING really hard that that this unnecessary reminder for solidarity doesn’t morph into a ‘Eat at McDonald’s with Prayers’ event after the ‘Cook a pot of Curry‘ fanfare. You have been warned.

Filed under: 2011, Bloggers, Fast food, Festivals, Local food, Racism, Religion | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

No porridge at KFC

Posted on September 23, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Bad attitude and no porridge at KFC outlet’, 23 Sept 2010, Speakup, The New Paper

(Irene Khoo): TWO Sundays ago, I ordered a set of original Twister/Milo and an a la carte KFC breakfast porridge for my daughter at about 9am at the Tanjong Katong Road outlet.

I was shocked when the counter staff told me that the porridge had been sold out and that I needed to wait for an hour for a fresh supply.

I requested to see the store manager to ask why a customer should have to wait for so long.

To my shock, the assistant manager retorted: ‘You don’t expect me to give you uncooked porridge, right?’

But surely the manager, who is supposed to oversee operations, should pre-empt such a situation by getting ready a fresh supply before the earlier lot runs low, I pressed?

Then came another shock. The assistant manager told me that I was free to eat at the Banquet food court next door if I could not wait.

In another incident earlier, I had gone to the outlet at about 8.15pm. (KFC had advertised an evening promotion for its porridge, from 6.30pm to 9pm.) Again, I was told that the porridge had run out.

11 secret herbs and spices in this too!

If KFC runs out of chicken I’d probably relate to the complainant’s frustration, but over a bowl of porridge? Eating porridge at KFC is like ordering salad at Morton’s steakhouse. Even if the porridge is so good that it’s sold out by early morning, and that even food guru KF Seetoh swears by it, its really just a case of arse-luck and no reason to tell the store manager how to run his operations, a complaint that totally deserves the gentle ‘why don’t you try elsewhere’ boot. Nobody will prepare a fresh load of  breakfast porridge near lunchtime just for you, Ms Khoo, it’s bad business. Still, the fact that a totally incongruous meal at an ubiquitous chicken icon can be such a hot item that some people raise a ruckus when they don’t have it for breakfast or supper must mean something.

Filed under: 2010, Customer service, Fast food, Local food | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

Super 7 incher

Posted on April 13, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From “7-inch-long sandwich ad is bad taste” 13 July 2009 Soshiok.com

A Burger King promotion featuring a woman styled to look like a blow-up doll trying to eat the long sandwich outraged people, who complained about the advertisement’s vulgar sexual reference.

The poster called on people to “fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame grilled with the new BK Super Seven Incher”.

(Szymon Halasa) “It was a misguided coolness image that Burger King was trying to portray. This ad was a result of extreme bad judgment.”

He said that since the fast food joint was a popular hangout for kids and teens, “pretending that they are stupid and that they would not make the connection would be just kidding yourself”.

BK blew it again

Fair enough, this ad caused international furore for its lack of subtlety and if you examine the seven incher it resembles the head of Alien rather than the male organ. BK, of course, no stranger to controversial ads.

Filed under: 2000s, Advertisements, Corporations, Fast food, Sex | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Angry Whopper ad

Posted on April 13, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Burger ad a whopping mistake’ 13 April 2010 St Forum online

It (Burger King’s Angry Whopper ad) depicts a woman and man who are fighting and have bruises on their faces from apparent physical violence.

What is the impact of this advertisement in a world that could urgently do with more peace? What message is this advertisement giving about anger to a child?

And perhaps the company could have a vegan/vegetarian burger and call it a peace burger to make up for this unfortunate decision?

Woman on top, at least

If one knew the history of the radio DJs (Shan and Rozz) in the ad, the depiction of them caught in what this complainant deems a homicidal bloodbath is really nothing much to shout about. I pity the fool who goes up to the counter and orders a ‘Peace burger’, even if he or she goes around wearing a toga and sandals. Ms Vadivu has probably never in her life seen Shan and Rozz in action, or Grand Theft Auto, or Tom and Jerry. Even though the ad doesn’t generally strike one as humorous, a little bruising and black eye in an ad won’t turn children into MMA fighters. Turn your attention to wrestling, Desperate Housewives, or video games, ma’am, though I doubt anyone would seriously listen to your grand ideas of We are the World Utopia. Still, the ad is not as tasteless as the mindblowing seven-incher sandwich one. Shan and Rozz, of course, behind the April fool fiasco that is Ris Low DJ-ing.

Filed under: 2010, Advertisements, Corporations, Fast food, Local radio DJs, Violence | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Women wrestlers

Posted on April 7, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Burger King should send Sable packing’ 8 November 2003 ST Forum

What caused me concern was a (BK) poster of a scantily-clad (wrestler)Sable – striking a seductive pose and with a come-hither look- placed in a very conspicuous position.

In one episode (WWE), a woman lashed two men with a leather whip, dressed in attire normally associated with sadomachism.

Always wondered what AWARE thought of S&M, whether they are conflicted over the just deserts that men are getting from a dominant female vs the sexual pleasure the men get out of having their ass whupped. A poser indeed.


Filed under: 2000s, Advertisements, Corporations, Fast food, Sex, Violence | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

McRacist

Posted on April 7, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Latest McDonald’s ad stereotypes ethnic group negatively” 1 Dec 1992 St Forum

Although colonial rule ended in Singapore more than three decades ago, I see from McDonald’s latest televsion commercial “Curry in a Hurry?, that the moth-eaten tapestry of the old empire still flutters in the executive suite of that organisation.

The negative stereotyping of an Indian snake charmer in McDonald’s commercial stands out in sharp contrast with the themes of their recent television commercials…

We seem to be a society with a phobia of religious headwear. We ban hijab wearing women from playing soccer at YOG, and 10 years before 9-11, we’re uptight over turbans from reasons other than terrorism. Almost every race has its own parody, whether it’s sleazy American oil tycoons or slanty-eyed Chinamen or Thai transverstites, so why can’t we get along laughing at each others’ expense? More here

Filed under: 1990s, Advertisements, Corporations, Fast food, Racism | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Food critic criticised

Posted on March 26, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From Headlines of Shin Min daily news 26 March 2010 and random Tweets

‘Netizens slam KF Seetoh for endorsing KFC in an advertisement as he has advised viewers in the past not to eat too much fast food’

Looking at all the Mandarin foodie rip offs you have on Channel U and celebrities using what limited vocabulary they have to entice viewers with their shoddy reviews, threatening to put Makansutra out of business, is it any wonder that Seetoh has to resort to this? Give the man a break, there’s only so much food for sampling in Singapore. Still, what would good friend Anthony Bourdain think?

Shiok written all over his face

The future of Singapore cuisine is looking finger lickin' good!

Filed under: 2010, Advertisements, Fast food, Local food, Local TV shows | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

McDonald’s Pig toy

Posted on February 7, 2010 by gdy2shoez

From ‘Hard to believe McDonald’s promotion was not about the zodiac’, 13 Jan 2010, ST Forum

(Tan Chin Kwang): I WAS born in the year of the Pig. So, when I first saw the toy collectibles in a McDonald’s outlet, I stared at the display for a long while to confirm that I was not mistaken: that McDonald’s had omitted my Chinese zodiac sign.

The pig was not one of the 12 collectible designs representing the dozen animals of the Chinese zodiac. Instead McDonald’s replaced it with Cupid. I wrote to McDonald’s last week to ask why and to say why it was wrong:

- Cupid is not a Chinese zodiac sign;

- While McDonald’s is a halal restaurant, and the reason for replacing the pig is to be sensitive towards the Muslim customers, the exclusion seems to be disrespectful and insensitive to Chinese patrons.

- By replacing the pig, McDonald’s is suggesting that the Muslim community is not tolerant enough to accept it as part of the Chinese zodiac.

McDonald’s said that as Valentine’s Day coincided on the first day of the Chinese New Year, it decided on Cupid.

It also stated that its Doraemon lucky charms promotion was never intended as a zodiac collection. If the 12 designs were not meant to mimic the 12 zodiac signs, why are customers upset?

Stupid cupid

If McDonald’s had done some basic wiki of mythology they would have realised that Cupid is an angel, not an animal, which makes this substitution and excuse painfully obvious, jutting out of the collection like a sore thumb. Even children would be able to spot the odd one out here. The ‘Zodiac’ terminology is also evident; if this collection were intended to be a lesson on the animal kingdom, they would have used ‘chicken’ instead of the specific ‘rooster’ and ‘mouse’ instead of the vermin-sounding ‘rat’.

Nonetheless, Macs eventually brought back the pig due to popular demand. Fans of the toys tend to forget that this is really Doraemon, a cat without ears, in a pig costume. At first glance, without the distinguishing snout or a curly tail, it just looks like a pink cat to me. Accusations of pandering to the Muslim community aside, these lucky charms have worked their magic on McDonald’s sales no less.

Filed under: 2010, Corporations, Fast food, Racism, Religion, Toys | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 170 other followers