By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 10: A hot dog isn’t made from dogs, root beer isn’t beer, eggplants aren’t made up of eggs—and, as Nan Yang Coffee Shop has clarified, mee pok isn’t pork.
The eatery, which has been operating in Segamat, Johor, for 95 years, released a statement on its Facebook page after a social media post accused it of serving pork noodles to Muslim customers.
The statement stressed that it does not sell pork or use pork fat in preparing its food, explaining that mee pok is a type of flat noodle known in the Teochew dialect.
It also clarified that it had never claimed to possess a Malaysian Halal Certification and that the nasi lemak sold at the eatery was sourced from a Malay supplier.
“We respect customers of all races and religions. Should there be any doubts regarding our menu or food ingredients, we warmly welcome the relevant parties to ask us for clarification before drawing conclusions or spreading information that could cause misunderstanding.
“Should any party continue to spread false information or allegations that could damage the good name and reputation of our business after this clarification, we reserve the right to take appropriate action to protect the interests and reputation of Nan Yang Coffee Shop,” it said.
The issue stemmed when a Facebook user made a post about Muslim patrons dining at the eatery. The original poster appeared to interpret the phrase mee pok as referring to pork noodles, prompting widespread concern online.
Meanwhile, according to a news report by China Press, the eatery’s operators claimed that the person behind the account had never visited the coffee shop and that they did not know them.
They have also lodged a police report, in which the individual issued an apology on Facebook before the coffee shop even had the opportunity to release its official statement.
The operators also stressed that they have complete documentation proving that all their food suppliers hold halal certification.
Following the controversy, they noted a drop in their Malay customers, who normally make up about 30 to 40 per cent of their clientele.
They said some of their customers had contacted them to ask what had happened, while some even suggested that they apply for Malaysian Halal Certification.
In addition to lodging a report with the police, they also lodged lodged reports with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), and Meta, the parent company of Facebook. — DayakDaily
