‘Singapore curry’ video removed after backlash, NYT responds
- Controversy began when a Taiwan-based writer demonstrated ‘Singaporean chicken curry’ on Instagram account nytcooking and viewers called it ‘filthy drain water’
- Singaporeans lit up social media with their anger and The New York Times conceded that ‘the video demonstration did not faithfully follow the recipe’
The New York Times pulled a video Friday showing a Taiwan-based writer making a “Singaporean chicken curry” after furious critics in the city state said it resembled sewage rather than a local dish.
Singaporeans are fiercely proud of their culinary traditions, which fuse influences from the country’s multi-ethnic population, and are sensitive to botched attempts by outsiders to portray their cherished dishes.
The controversy began when The New York Times posted a video this month on its nytcooking Instagram account showing Clarissa Wei, a Taipei-based American freelance journalist, demonstrating how to make a “Singaporean chicken curry”.
Social media in the city state lit up with anger, with critics saying the product looked like filthy drain water rather than an authentic local curry. “I’m sorry but what even is this? As a Singaporean, I’ve never seen any version of chicken curry that looks like this from any of the major ethnic groups,” one comment on social media said.
Dubbed “Currygate” by the local media, the saga received non-stop critical coverage for days before the US outlet finally bowed to pressure and pulled the video. “After hearing your feedback, we’ve removed the video,” said a message on the nytcooking account, which has 3.4 million followers.
The video accompanied an article that Wei had written for The New York Times about the varied food enjoyed by Singaporeans during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Singaporean Shila Das contributed a recipe for chicken biryani for the piece, but the article split the recipe into two parts – one called “Nasi Biryani” and the other “Singaporean Chicken Curry”. It was the curry recipe that Wei cooked in the video.
