"diner En Blanc Singapore" Organizers Said Singapore Food Not Good Enough For Their Picnic

[Guest Guest]

Diner En Blanc Singapore was supposed to be a open-style food event brought in from France to celebrate good food but yet the local organizers disallowed the participants to bring along local Singaporean food because it was deemed to be "not quality food" or "not elegant enough" for the event. After a local food blogger objected to this rule, he was "uninvited" to the event on the pretext that there isn't sufficient space. Subsequently, all other local food bloggers were also "uninvited" to the same event. After a sea of protests in the social media over Diner En Blanc's lack of respect for Singapore local food and bloggers, Diner En Blanc started to delete and censor negative comments on their official Facebook pages, and subsequently disabled their Facebook pages altogether, making it impossible for Singaporeans to voice their objections.

I wonder which SIngaporeans would be so shameless to still attend this event when we've been told that our local food is not good enough for their snobbish picnic event? There is now a Facebook group to call for the boycott of this event:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diner-En-Blanc-singapore-Boycott/404690512925225

[gstc82]

It's very silly for that food blogger to pull this stunt when it's known that u can't bring your you taio etc to that event. It's all abt respect. U don't go Le Amis n demand the chef to cook char GUo taio for you. Street food are of cos out of place! If u can prepare local food like those served st lei garden it will be welcome. Every type of food has its place in its own event.

[gstc82]

This will only disgrace us n give us a bad name in countries that has this event. These silly locals shd be ashamed for kicking up a fuss. U don't go to a hawker center n demand that place to serve u fine French food do u. Neither shd they expect a French restaurant to cook for u mee pok.

[doncoin]

I attended the event a week ago here in NYC. It was fun but at the end of it, why go through all the fuss for a meal where you have to bring your own cutlery, utensils, food, drink, table and setting? Once was enough and yes, I think it is offensive that the organizers in SG think that local food is not worthy. I think fried carrot cake will pair well with a chardonnay... ummm, not really, but if you have drank enough bottles of wine by that time, who cares about food pairing. Everything tastes pretty much the same.

[gstc82]

My partner n I actually wanted to join in but I decided not too becos I am afraid of the heat as its outdoors.

[Guest fusion]

simple why dun the chef do a fusion of local and french. like the east and west fusion is good.

[Guest Guest]

Lau kui, xia suay!

Chao ang mo can fcuk back to where they came from if they wanna discriminate against local food.

[gstc82]

I just read an article in wsj ( go google) a the "fuss" over this fiasco over local food against "atas" food. The reporter noted that anti foreigners comments were posted in the diner en blanc fb n sg"s growing resentment against foreigners which consist abt 40% of the population. If this cont, I wonder what will happen, won't any foreign companies or event org will think

Many times of setting their biz or events here fearing the anger of these Singaporeans? These Singaporeans can live in their own bubble. To these ignorant idiots who made a fuss, do bring your partners, parents, weddings to hawker centers n eat mee pok n tau suan on your anniversary, bday, cny dinner, valentines day etc. do we locals mr bean for reunion dinner? Do we eat mee pok for our new years party? Look at the huge number of Chinese restaurants in sg! Are these local food? Do u even eat mee tai bak soup in your coffee shop shi cha shop? What the org fear is that some people will simply pack mr bean n spoil the atmosphere, it's ment for people who put effort to prepare food. I will be offended if I were to make effort to prepare gd food and next table eat economic rice! There is a time and place for any food. The pr side handled this badly but the reaction from is uncalled for. Cont like this n next few decades later, I am sure bkk, jkt, Hanoi , kl all will attract foreign entertainment, events, business n bypass this red dot. Who lose? Us.

Edited August 28, 2012 by gstc82

[gstc82]

simple why dun the chef do a fusion of local and french. like the east and west fusion is good.

U have to prepare your own food. If u can make a classy local food. Why not? The org is simply trying to tell ppl not to ta pau food. They shd do a better job. The pr co must be fired which it did.

[gstc82]

Lau kui, xia suay!

Chao ang mo can fcuk back to where they came from if they wanna discriminate against local food.

lol. its a local singaporean that brought the event here, so where shd he fcuk off too? btw, what u have for reunion dinner?

[MomentoMori]

As Daniel Ang put it, "Food is meant to unite, not divide". The issue has ran its course, no point getting your knickers all twisted over it.

THIS should be Dîner en Blanc

[gstc82]

its strange that how some people can get so politize and racist over this event. daniel's blog has so much anti french comments that its frigntening what keyboard warriors can do. its the local org and local pr team that made a 'bad judgement' to daniel, not the french founders. we are just a speck of dust that any company in the world can bypass without serious financial loss. i am worried for the next decades as the region is rapidly fast catching up in this global race.if i am a foreigner who is thinking of bringing my money and business to this area and happen to read why such a small issue can be overblown into anti foreigners atmosphere, i will just bypass sg and go to bkk and not risk the headache of fearing the warth of singaporeans.

[Smarty Pants]

Its not really their fault actually. If you look at it from an objective point of view, this diner en blanc thingy is the epitome of casual fine dining. If I am going to bring tau huey or char kway teow then it may seem kind of not suitable for the occasion. Not saying that our local cuisines are inferior. I love chilli crab and black pepper crab! XD haha that can be included. I think crabs are fine. Chicken rice also! And in fact we should have all our different ethnic races dishes like Prata, Rojak etc

[gstc82]

If Daniel can make his own tau Huey sure he can bring it to the dinner! Daniel can make tau Huey with wolf berries n ginkgo with lychee reduction! Tau Huey is our panna cotta! What the local org n pr do not want is people to bring take away food thus ruin the atmosphere and it's unfair to those who make an effort. Will these people boycott high end "snotty" Chinese restaurants? Why make this nice event into the mockery it is now? Does Daniel bring his gf: wife to eat Wonton mee at lavender hawker? Btw, my partner n I are bringing our jap friend to maxwell market to eat tian tian chic rice on Thursday. There is place n time for all food. Every year my partner n I org a pot luck Xmas party n a sit down dinner new years eve party for our families, for Xmas pot luck, I will chase you out if anyone brings economic bee hoon or curry chicken or chicken rice! Call me a food snob if they bring bee hoon, it just disrespect the traditional Xmas feast we make a huge effort to prepare for all. I take my food very very seriously.

[Sticky&Sweet]

In the defense of the food blogger.

1. He was invited, THEN uninvited after he posted the post suggesting a few local dishes one can bring to the dinner. By the way, he did have permission initially by the organizers to post the food suggestion post up in his blog.

2. I read his blog post about the incident. He didn't go overboard in his post. He put things in a very factual way. He wasn't trying to pull stunts.

3. He did not ask for his blog post to go viral, but it did. He also cannot help it that people forwarded his post to facebook. He also cannot help it other people started to throw xenophobic vitriols about this event.

4. To be fair, he did write a follow-up post to ask everybody to simmer & calm down.

So, in my opinion, if the whole thing got blown out of proportion, it was simply 社会的错, and not the fault of the blogger.

[gstc82]

He is the fuel that ignited the fire. Food blogger? What does he know abt food? He really think its a picnic? Why not he just suggest people take away curry puffs n fish all from old Chung kee? Don't he know what type of food is suitable n what's not? What food to serve in what event? Try telling the head chef of the top Chinese restaurant to cook u mee tai bak soup n he will throw you our of the restaurant or elevate it up to his standards n charge you $100 for it! He knows nothing abt food. Tau Huey! Is he making his own or just ta pau? His ignorance lead to this event into a laughing joke n ruin the hard work of many people including Singaporeans. Ignorant fool.

[Sticky&Sweet]

Yes he's the fuel that ignited the fire. But he shouldn't be blamed. Like that, the Straits Times should be blamed for A LOT of transgressions because they reported or published an opinion piece. As for his taste in food, yes it is indeed questionable. So, if have to flame him, at most flame him for his bad taste in food lor.. hahah!

[Guest Guest]

To quote a comment from a reader to the Wall Street Journal on this event:

".....People are angry because they specifically discriminated against local food. Yet, if you read their web site(s), nowhere does it say their event is about French food. The only qualification was “quality” food, and events in other cities allow local food. So why the discrimination against OUR local food? – ”local food is not allowed”, subsequently changed to “local food is not encouraged”. Their excuse was that “local food is not in line with the theme”. The only published theme i could read is “white”, and there is even a statement that there is “no ideological agendas(sic)”. And, again, why is local food in other cities consistent with the theme but not local food in this city? Who’s “warped”?"

Read the full WSJ article here:

http://blogs.wsj.com...s-in-singapore/

[gstc82]

Do u need a guide book to tell u what I shd eat? No where in tatsuya, saint julien, wan hao, Lei garden erc states that they do not serve laksa, mee pok n you tiao. It's logical, if u go to a Japanese restaurant, u don't expect the chef to cook bak kut teh for you.

[gstc82]

Do u need a guide book to tell u what U shd eat? No where in tatsuya, saint julien, wan hao, Lei garden erc states that they do not serve laksa, mee pok n you tiao. It's logical, if u go to a Japanese restaurant, u don't expect the chef to cook bak kut teh for you. N one shd prepare its own food n not take outs. Daniel suggest up bring soon quay! Wtf.

Edited August 28, 2012 by gstc82

[gstc82]

Singaporeans want the govt to back off their lives, but on the other hand, wants a rule book in how to behave or what you can bring n what not to bring in a social gathering! Looks like some people still need people to nanny them. Such an embarrassment. Soon quay! Lol. Why don't bring see ham and baron"s strong brew n a tv set to watch soccer in diner en blanc .

[tblee]

Gstc82 you seem to be full of righteous indignation. I think you misunderstand why many people are angry.

The original invitation Daniel received did not specify what kind of food to bring other than three courses of starter, main and dessert. Daniel checked with the organisers to see if he could suggest local food as a fun alternative. They said yes. Then last week they said no, it is forbidden. Only classy food allowed. With these words they judged local food to be unclassy and unfit for a sophisticated event.

You can imagine why do many locals were outraged. Although this was an invite only event, it would be held in a public place. Many people thought it incredibly rude to hold a picnic in public, in Singapore but forbid people to bring Singaporean food. It's not like there was a chef cooking for everyone, or that it's one big pot luck dinner. But Diner en b lanc you bring your own food, and you eat your own food. There's no sharing involved.

People are mad that the organisers deem local food low class. There are many ways to "dress up" local food to make it sophisticated but the organisers did not even allow that. They've since issued an apology and local food is allowed as long as it is in the theme of a classy sophisticated event.

[gstc82]

For u to think I am full if righteous, are u not looking in the mirror? I commit more sins than u can imagine. Don't like the rules don't join. Simple as that. DOnt destroy what other people enjoy.

[gstc82]

N oh please. Many singaporeans are outraged? Define "many" n are those "outraged" Singaporeans invited to that event in the first place or keyboard warriors like u n I?

Edited August 28, 2012 by gstc82

[gstc82]

Tblee or whatever u call yourself. Did the French side if diner en blanc respond to Daniel or was it the Singaporean org and the Singaporean PR that did the initial communication with Daniel. Many Singaporeans don't eat chicken rice or char Kay tiao, are they less local than you becos of it? Food is subjective. I don't miss any local food except mee Kia tab when I am overseas. Am I less of a Singaporean becos I don't eat much local food? btw, soon kueh, ji cheong fun, soya bean milk are not 'local', available every locally yes but its not 'local' u know, its imported.

Edited August 28, 2012 by gstc82

[tblee]

If you are truly interested in why this issue has generated such international interest then you should follow the Facebook page of diner en blanc Singapore. The answers to all your questions are there, gstc82 or whatever you call yourself.

[gstc82]

If you are truly interested in why this issue has generated such international interest then you should follow the Facebook page of diner en blanc Singapore. The answers to all your questions are there, gstc82 or whatever you call yourself.

Orh.