Food

Mala chicken & tomyam oden? Japanese woman hilariously reacts to FamilyMart M’sia’s food during her speech

December 11, 2022

2 minute read

Image credit: durianator

At the rate by which FamilyMart is expanding in Malaysia, you’ll be hard-pressed not to find one near you if you live in the Klang Valley. Often regarded as one of the most recognizable brands to hail from Japan, they offer a wide panoply of reliably delicious and convenient Japanese bites for those keen on a quick and filling meal while on the go.

Japanese woman reacts to FamilyMart Malaysia foods

But of course in appealing to local tastebuds, FamilyMart also serves a number of unique menu items that have been made with Malaysians in mind, as one Japanese woman would go on to discover with delight. In a hilarious clip that has recently shared by TikTok user @durianator, Google New York employee Mariko Kosaka decided to begin her keynote speech in high spirits by sharing her FamilyMart Malaysia findings with her audience, much to their amusement.

Mariko jokingly notes that the concept of mala is completely foreign to the Japanese. Image credit: durianator

Among some of the gems she spoke about included Mala Chicken Onigiri, which is a rice ball that contains cooked pieces of chicken made in the immensely popular Szechuan mala style.

“Japanese people can’t do spicy food. Concept of mala doesn’t exist in Japan,” she quips with much humour.

She also points out that crawfish isn't a form of seafood typically consumed in Japan, but was curious to try it. Image credit: durianator — She also points out that crawfish isn’t a form of seafood typically consumed in Japan, but was curious to try it. Image credit: durianator

Mariko then proceeds to speak about Crawfish Onigiri, which she notes is not a form of seafood that Japanese people tend to eat traditionally. With that said, she does admit to wanting to try it for curiosity’s sake. On the other hand, she appeared puzzled by the existence of Garlic Mayo Shrimp Onigiri, and decided against placing a verdict.

She was a little more hesitant over the Garlic Mayo Shrimp onigiri. Image credit: durianator

Oden receives 10/10 stars

She was all for Malaysian oden! Image credit: durianator

Instead, Mariko was truly enthused by one aspect of FamilyMart that we all Malaysians enjoy: their oden selection. Traditionally, oden refers to fish cakes that are cooked and served in a light, savoury broth.

“Oden in Japanese context is like a very, like simple bland fish broth.” she notes.

But in the case of the localised version of FamilyMart oden, seasoned fans will know you can have yours Plain Jane, or with a kick when you go with their tomyam broth or satay sauce instead.

“This is genius. You guys should import that back to Tokyo. You will do really well.”

As one can expect, Malaysians have been left in stitches by her reaction to local FamilyMart snacks, and have recommended that she try other ‘localised’ foods too.

Malaysian netizens have urged her to try other 'localised' Japanese foods, after her stint at FamilyMart Malaysia. Image credit: TikTok — Malaysian netizens have urged her to try other ‘localised’ Japanese foods, after her stint at FamilyMart Malaysia. Image credit: TikTok

The video has also caught the attention of Mariko herself, who has thanked netizens for their suggestions and intends to try out some of the suggestions for herself.