Malaysia has always been a melting pot of different cultures, races, nationalities and religions. However as the country’s popularity increases, more and more foreigners are now coming to Malaysia either temporarily or permanently.
For some, adopting to the country’s quirks and values may be simple but for others, it might not be as easy as it sounds.
Recently, a video of a group of matsallehs eating rice with their hands went viral on TikTok.
In the video shared by @wanaja5, a group of Americans can be seen eating rice with their hands whilst one of them appeared to be struggling.
The video showed one of the tourists attempting miserably to eat with his hands whilst his friends tried to teach and guide him on how to do it properly.
“Looks like torture”
The video has gone viral and currently sits on over 984,100 views at the time of writing. Plenty of Malaysians found the video hilarious and made jokes about the matsalleh’s hand-eating style.
“That’s wrong. Your hands have to wrap around the back of your head then only do you put the food into your mouth,” commented a netizen jokingly.
“His hand is not incorrect, what’s wrong is his mouth,” said another user.
Another commented, “No need to raise your elbows so high up… worried that you’re going to hit your friend beside you.”
How they ended up in Malaysia
In an interview with WORLD OF BUZZ, the video owner named Fatimah said that all of the matsallehs are from the United States and that they were a group of 14 people.
“We’ve known each other since June, when they came here for a vacation and one of my friends asked me and another friend to help guide them and we became close.”
Speaking about the video, Fatimah said, “Most of them know how to use their hands. The locals taught them. They even know that we have to wash our hands first before eating.”
“It’s just that one guy who is still trying but he is still good! Might not be perfect but he keeps trying and always uses his hand to eat. I love how they try to adapt to our culture,” she added.
In regards to the massive amount of attention the video has amassed, Fatimah said, “I am happy that Malaysians loved that video. I hope that we don’t make a joke out of that video, he is trying and he is good. He could even finish his nasi lemak in a blink of an eye! Nasi Dagang is their favourite food in Terengganu!”
Although the majority of the group has returned to the States, Fatimah said that one of them has decided not to go home just yet because she just enjoys staying in Malaysia and plans to explore the rest of the country.
In other videos, the group of Americans can even be seen wearing baju raya as well as speaking Bahasa Malaysia.
Watch the video below:
Watch on TikTok
What do you think of the video?
Also read: This Mat Salleh in Perak Sells Hungarian Street Food From A Food Stand!
