I was on my way to a lunch appointment in the central business district when someone handed me a flyer.
Out of curiosity, I took it to see if there's anything different or new.
It turned out to be a flyer promoting a new eating place selling a local dish, Bak Kut Teh.
That is nothing surprising. A lot of new and existing establishments use flyers to create awareness, to promote their businesses and to get people to buy from them by offering discount coupons.
There are two flyers given out for this new restaurant.
On one of the flyer is information on their standard set meal.
On the other flyer, there are photos of their menu items and prices and other set meal options available. There is also 15% discount coupon printed and a few old photos of their restaurant.
It turned out that this shop has been in business for forty years as printed on the brochure.
The business seems to be trying to revamp its business into a modern one and target the younger crowd with spending power (think white collar workers). That's a trend that is catching on. It not only has a new name "Bak Bak" which sounds a bit more youthful compared to the very traditional Chinese name but also a new logo.
The headline of the brochure indicates "Presenting to you a new revolution of Bak Kut Teh."
I wondered what they are trying to revolutionize.
Apart from the usual traditional side dishes like braised peanuts, salted vegetables and fried dough that comes with this dish, they have infused Japanese side dishes. Customers now can have cold tofu with ponzu sauce, chawanmushi, Japanese cucumber with sesame sauce and udon to go with their Bak Kut Teh. They even use Japanese pearl rice instead of normal rice.
The way they present their food is also very zen like with white porcelain bowls for the dishes that sits on a wooden tray. Something that you except to see at a Muji cafe.
Is mixing Bak Kut Teh with Japanese dishes considered creative? Is it an innovation? Is this considered revolution? Has anyone tried it previously and what was the result? If not, did anyone ever thought of it and why no one tried doing it? Did the owner do a study or trial to test the market receptivity to this combination? Or do they choose Japanese food as it's popular and common? Why not Korean or Thai food? Do they choose it as Japanese food usually command a higher price which they think their target white collar workers are able to afford it? Did they choose Japanese food because it's more instagrammable?
What fascinates me isn't the fusion between local and Japanese food.
It is the photos of the owner and her son with Chow Yun Fatt.
Yes, the international star from Hong Kong who has acted in numerous Hollywood movies.
"Chow Yun Fat's favourite Bak Kut Teh in Singapore," shouts the headline.
There is even his signature and a number 2005, which I assumed was the year he signed his signature when he visited the restaurant.
How true is this headline?
If you've personally seen this star eating at this place on more than a few occasions, then the headline could be true. It could jolly well be true since the owner is brave enough to declare it is his favorite place for the dish.
For the rest of us, how can we be sure that 2005 is the one and only time he visited the place and the owner took a photo with him?
Will a famous star's favorite restaurant make you want to eat there as well?
If you are a tourist, perhaps that would influence you but I'm not so sure for the local.
That begs me another question.
Did the owner seek his approval to use his photo on the brochure? Did they pay him for endorsement of any kind, even if he really likes the food there? If no approval seek, is the owner running the risk of potential lawsuit? The world is too big with too many things happening that Chow Yun Fatt won't know unless someone told him. He is probably too busy and has way more important things to do than sue. Being the nice guy, he may decides to close one eye since it didn't cause him any harm and sees it as doing a favor for his favorite stall owner. Will Chow feels made used and stopped patronizing the place?
As an international star who has influential power, they have to protect their personal rights to prevent abuse. Without exercising their rights, the consequences is dire. Imagine photos of stars, celebrities and famous people being used in marketing collateral, whether for legitimate or illegal purposes.
One could take the opportunity to take photos with famous people and claim their association with them. There are no lack of scam cases using such tactics.
That reminds me of another place that serves another local dish, Laksa.
If you ever visit their shop, you will see rows and rows of photos of the owner with stars from Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc. How do you know whether the stars really like the food there or the photos taken is the one and only time these stars ever visited the place? Majority of the locals know that the food there is crappy and overpriced. No wonder the last time I passed by, there were many more camera trotting tourists than locals.
Ask for permission if you want to put a photo of you with the famous person that could potentially benefit your business.
The best thing is let your customers discover it themselves.