Hainanese Chicken Rice: How the French Does It

All my life, I’ve only known ONE way of eating the Hainanese chicken rice. And, the process goes like this:

1. Check the rice. If it is too dry, scope a few spoonfuls of soup to soften it,
2. Check the size of the chopped meat. If it’s too big, tear the meat into bitesize pieces,
3. Scope the flesh together with rice,
4. Spoon into the mouth,
5. Repeat 2-4 with bean sprouts / cucumber and chicken alternately.

The Hainanese chicken rice, I was told (by TV), was of grassroots origin. Having grown up with it, it made no difference to me whether it was fancily presented (by a five star hotel) or on plastic plates in a food court. Chicken rice had always been just another delicious street food. And, it was ALWAYS about the rice – and never the presentation anyways:

• Yummy rice + icky chicken = Borderline pass
• Icky rice + icky chicken = FAIL
• Yummy rice + yummy chicken = “die die must eat” again

After some very expensive, fine dining-esque chicken rice in a super swank hotel in Kuala Lumpur, in the school cafeteria in Japan, and, of course, in a food court surrounded by colourful HDB flats in Singapore, the above formula in determining the quality of good chicken rice still applied.

Having enjoyed it with friends from various parts of world, never had I seen this delicacy appreciated in another manner besides the process I’d always known (as stated above). Well, not until I befriended a French – a community famed for their elaborate dining etiquette.

Honestly, I’m still having a hard time deciding what to call his style: amusing or, well, painful. His goes like this:

1. Spread the napkin on the lap,
2. Start with the soup,
3. Then, the greens,
4. Slowly fork and knife the chicken to the desired size, if necessary.
5. Enjoy the rice.

After witnessing how meticulously my friend handled his plate of HKD30++ chicken rice, I began to have some (strange) new ideas:

• Dining etiquette does help shake off chicken rice’s peasantry origin and transform it into fine dining instantaneously (as opposed to expensive porcelain and cutleries, or grand chandeliers above diners’ heads),
• Chicken rice is not all about rice to some (if a Frenchman does not care much about the rice, perhaps Hainanese chicken baguette is not such a horrific idea?),
• How would a Frenchman handle nasi lemak with rendang ayam and acar buah?

Have you seen anyone eaten your national dish differently? How does that make you feel?