Some Malaysian hawkers and chefs are unhappy that Singapore wants to have its hawker culture recognised in the Unesco list of intangible heritage. Chef Wan, a popular Malaysian chef, commented on the proposal: "People who lack confidence in their food will go all out to do these things for recognition."

Such "roasting" is not new - back in 2009, then Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen told the press that Hainanese chicken rice, chilli crab, nasi lemak, bak kut teh and laksa were Malaysian dishes that had been "hijacked" by other countries.