3-重新探索-马来西亚的中国美食

The success of Chinese products on theMalaysian market has been facilitated by the close cultural ties between thetwo countries. Most Malaysians of Chinese descent understand Chinese; they useChinese-language social media platforms like Douyin 抖音 and Xiaohongshu 小红书andfollow Chinese idols. When the actor and former TFBoy Jackson Yee 易烊千玺 signed adeal with Genki Forest 元气森林,a Chinese drink distributor, to endorse the company’s low sugar soft drinks,sales quickly took off among his large Malaysian fanbase.

Meanwhile, on livestreaming apps,Chinese influencers publish videos of themselves visiting stores, unboxingorders, or making product recommendations. Known in Chinese as zhongcao种草, or“grass-planting,” the idea is to sow the seeds of consumption in viewers’minds. These same videos are avidly watched by Malaysian Chinese, who thenimport the foods they see their favorite influencers cooking or photographing.

New Chinese restaurants have also begunpopping up on Malaysia’s streets and in its alleyways. Some of these, likeYang’s, are independently run. Others are part of global chains. Since 2018, anumber of Sichuanese hot pot chains, including Haidilao海底捞,Xiaolongkan小龙坎火锅,and Fengwangfu凤王府成都火锅,have expanded to Malaysia. Haidilao now boasts nine branches in the country,and Selangor, Malaysia’s most populated and economically developed region, ishome to dozens of competing hot pot restaurants.

In addition to Sichuan- andChongqing-style hotpots, other regional Chinese delicacies, including Shaanxi-stylenoodles, Hubei-style kebabs烤串,and the Sichuanese spicy stew known as maocai  冒菜havealso gained footholds 立足in the Malaysian market. The same is true of quick-and-easy roadside delicacieslike the crepe-esque jianbing 煎饼andsour-and-spicy rice noodles 酸辣米线,which are becoming street food staples 主食.

Even these ostensibly 表面上地authenticrepresentations of contemporary Chinese cuisine often feature adaptations tolocal tastes, however. As Yang put it: “Malaysian people generally can't eatanything too oily or spicy and don't want dishes to be too heavily seasoned.So, we’ve had to make some small changes.”

More adaptations 餐食改良arelikely in the works. Despite the growing popularity of Chinese food, especiallyamong ethnic Chinese, Chinese restaurants continue to struggle in thepredominantly 主导的Malayregions of the country’s east. The sustainability of the current boom willlikely come down to restauranteurs’ ability to adapt and survive, just as ithas for centuries.