In Singapore, Manchester United fans get over a loss with free ‘prata’

SINGAPORE – It is one of the oldest and most storied rivalries in the history of English football — perhaps even the sport itself. Manchester United versus Liverpool FC.

While the clashes may be played out in England, the action is closely followed by fans from all over the world. And almost 11,000 kilometers away, in the former British colony of Singapore, you’ll find die-hard fans who are as passionate as any other.

The last match between the two giants took place on September. 1, 2024 at 11 pm (Singapore time) and would finish well past midnight. Despite the next day being Monday, Singaporean fans tuned in regardless.

Those who did witnessed Erik Ten Hag’s Red Devils fall to Arne Slot’s Reds three goals to nil at Old Trafford. Manchester United fans everywhere had to endure the taunts of rival fans. But in Singapore, there was more to come.

A local chain selling Indian and South Asian food, Srisun Express, made an audacious offer: any customer who turned up at one of their six outlets while wearing a Manchester United shirt would receive three pieces of “roti prata,” free of charge.

As the comments section showed, the promotion was greeted by lots of good-natured taunting and jokes. It was picked up by a number of local Singapore news sites, and at least for a day, one eatery received a boost in sales. 

But that wasn’t all it showed. Behind the curry and crispy dough, it was a microcosm of Singapore society itself.

Hougang in the heartlands

To check out the food at Srisun Express for myself, I went down to the outlet at Hougang, one of Singapore’s residential neighborhoods.

To outsiders, Singapore may come across as nothing more than a shiny city, renowned for its cleanliness and luxury attractions. More than one online influencer has derided the city state as being “boring” and “artificial.”

But they might see a different side of Singapore if they venture out of the touristy areas and explore what locals call the “heartlands,” comprising residential areas with smaller-scale shops.

Hougang, named after a Chinese dialect term for “end of the river,” is also unique among Singapore neighborhoods for being one of the few places in the country not administered by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). 

It was captured by Low Thia Khiang of the Workers’ Party (WP) in the 1991 general election, with Low becoming just one of two Members of Parliament (similar to a district Representative in The Philippines) who was not from the PAP.

Low has retired from frontline politics, but his successors have thus far managed to keep Hougang in the hands of the WP, more than 30 years after his initial victory. Hougang may look like an ordinary neighborhood, but its residents are keenly aware of their role in the Singaporean political landscape.

Taste of India, north and south

I perused the menu, which included beloved North Indian dishes like garlic naans, tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala (boneless chicken chunks in a spicy, tomato-based sauce). It also had South Indian delicacies like thosai (a crispy, thin pancake accompanied by various condiments)and uttapam (a pancake made from lentils, topped with vegetables).

To the average diner, the menu may not seem extraordinary. But to me, it represented the unique nature of Singapore’s reputation as a food haven.

Due to our history as a colonial British port, immigrants from all around Asia flocked to Singapore to start new lives and build the city. If one visits an Indian restaurant in London, for example, you might be able to order North Indian dishes, but maybe not South Indian ones. But you can get both in a sleepy neighborhood in Singapore.

To pay a small tribute to these influences, I ordered a portion of chicken tikka masala and two orders of prata. The humble prata, also known as roti canai, does not originate from India. Rather, it was Indian immigrants to Southeast Asia who came up with the dish, and it is commonly eaten in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

In Singapore, a plain prata (without any filling) is known as prata kosong. Kosong happens to be the Malay word for “zero.” But your background doesn’t matter; everyone in Singapore loves a prata, whether for a quick, simple breakfast or a late-night supper after hanging out with friends.

Only in Singapore

Its popularity was made evident by the success of Srisun’s football-related promotion.

I asked my waitress, a bubbly woman named Nitha, about the free prata offer. She remembered the first such promotion, after Liverpool’s crushing defeat of Manchester United 7-0 in 2023. That was enough to get featured in Singapore’s paper of record, the Straits Times.

By comparison, three free orders of prata instead of seven was easier. She estimated that around 130 orders of free prata were given away, which meant that at least 43 people had turned up in Manchester United shirts to get their free pratas, for the Hougang outlet alone.

It must have been quite the sight, the workers flipping the dough and cracking eggs from day to night, fans queuing up, united by the love of their club and their love of food.

A promotion inspired by English football, featuring a dish born from the creativity of Indian immigrants, given a Malay term and eaten in a neighborhood with a Chinese name. Only in Singapore. – Rappler.com

Sulaiman Daud is a 2024 #FactsMatter fellow. He is a writer and editor at Mothership, Singapore’s youth-focused digital news platform.