UK High Commissioner: Let's forgive one another - including the crispy rendang judges

PETALING JAYA: As Hari Raya draws closer, British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell has posted a video on Facebook urging Malaysians to be more forgiving of mistakes - including the "crispy rendang" gaffe made by the MasterChef UK judges.

"Salah silap saling maaf bermaafi, termasuk episod rendang crispy (Let’s forgive one another for our mistakes, including the crispy rendang episode). Setulus ikhlas daripada kami (sincerely by us), Selamat Hari Raya, Eid Al Fitr.” she said in her video on Thursday (June 14), clad in a traditional red baju kebaya.

The video then focused on the British High Commission’s staff feasting on traditional Malay delights, followed by a series of selfies and wefies after.

It also played the traditional Hari Raya song “Sebulan Sudah Berpuasa” in the background of the video.

In response, Facebook user Caroline Eng called Treadell's poem "wonderful" and praised her fluent Malay

Similar views were shared by Facebook user Fizal Lingard, who wished Treadell and the British High Commission staff Hari Raya greetings.

"Selamat Hari Raya and have a great long weekend to you and the British High Commission staff," said Lingard.

Others noted Treadell's sense of humour in highlighting the "crispy rendang" episode.

Last April, MasterChef UK contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin's had prepared a traditional rendition of nasi lemak with chicken rendang during the MasterChef UK competition, but was eliminated from the quarter-finals of the programme.

Masterchef UK judges had made disparaging remarks about Zaleha’s chicken rendang, as they claimed that it did not have the required “crispy” skin.

Malaysians, Bruneians, Singaporeans and Indonesians on social media banded together to defend Zaleha, sparking a media storm as a result.