KUALA LUMPUR: A foreign male traveller conveyed his confusion and disappointment after experiencing what he characterised as discourteous treatment at a local Chinese cafe in Georgetown, Penang.
The one-minute video that was originally posted by user @realwildcarlos on Sep 24 on TikTok regained its popularity last week after being posted by several media outlets reaching 1.1 million views.
User @realwildcarlos, also known as Carlos is a male content creator who loves travelling and often posts his travel videos on his social platforms mainly YouTube,TikTok, and Instagram.
However, that particular incident left him dumbfounded after receiving the dismissive service by the locals who worked at the cafe.
In the video, Carlos expressed his curiosity about a beverage named 'Nutmeg Juice,' intrigued by its unique taste he had yet to experience.
Despite his attempts to inquire about it from several staff members at the establishment, they responded with puzzled expressions and shrugged, saying, "I don't know," seemingly unable to comprehend his request, likely due to the language barrier or his foreign background.
Unexpectedly, a male staff member abruptly requested Carlos to leave the restaurant, citing the reason that he hadn't purchased any water, leaving Carlos feeling bewildered and unwelcome due to the sudden and seemingly unjustified dismissal.
This left Carlos feeling utterly baffled, as he had persistently tried to order the nutmeg juice, asking various waiters and waitresses at least four times, only to be met with refusal each time.
As the staff continued insisting that he must order a drink or vacate the premises, stating, "I'm so sorry, you must at least order one drink here... if not, sit outside... I don't care," Carlos felt increasingly perplexed and unwelcomed.
In an attempt to clarify, Carlos stood up and pointed out the name of the drink on the menu board to a particular staff member, a Chinese gentleman.
It was only then that the staff member mentioned that the nutmeg juice was already sold out.
Exasperated, Carlos expressed his frustration, questioning, "But why didn't you tell me earlier? Instead, your approach was really rude."
The video resonated with numerous Malaysian viewers, drawing their sympathy towards his unfortunate encounters that might have potentially marred his visit.
User @️CHU said I'm so sorry you had this experience in penang :( I hope it doesn't ruin your memories of our little island.
Having that on the board but the (the Chinese staffs) expression was like who put this nutmeg juice label? That was hell, sorry for the bad experience, said another user @Zekiel in a sarcastic remark.
However, it also triggered varied reactions among different audiences.
A user, @mai questioned why was Carlos asked to leave for not buying a drink when he already ordered food there. She said even when you ordered food but no drink, he still asked you to leave???
Then user @ + responded and clarified that this was actually normal in Penang. He stated It's a Penang Chinese coffee cafe kinda thing and only in Penang.
"Meanwhile, @kijangkl attempted to interpret the scenario from the staff's perspective, suggesting, I think the pronunciation of Nutmeg Juice is heard as Not Make Juice to the Chinese guy... That's why he thinks you're not ordering any drinks