Crystal Jade's tongue-in-cheek promotion slammed
Parents of boomers, in a fit of anger, would back in the day utter all sorts of deprecating words to lash out at their imps.
"Saang gau caa siu hou gwo saang nei," was such a phrase in Cantonese, which means "it is better to give birth to barbecued pork than to give birth to you".
But parents have over the years ditched such toxic behaviour as they adopt a more nurturing style of parenting.
Famous Chinese restaurant Crystal Jade, however, does not seem to have received the memo.
The chain, which boasts scoring the Michelin star and Bib Gourmand among its accolades, is offering free barbecued pork to parents who would utter the Cantonese phrase to their child.
"Which public relations agency is behind this?" questions netizen Benny Se Teo.
His sentiment is echoed by many other netizens in the Facebook group Complaint Singapore, calling the marketing campaign "toxic" and saying "it is not funny at all".
Netizen Carol Sim suggested that the restaurant could have picked another phrase for the promotion.
According to Crystal Jade Singapore's Facebook post on April 29: "Jokes and naggings aside, Crystal Jade wishes all families a joyous Parents’ Day season! To celebrate Parents' Day in a light-hearted manner, we’re granting your wish by giving out FREE Roasted Honey BBQ Pork (worth $14.50) this May and June."
The post, unlike the sharing in the Complaint Singapore group, was well-received – garnering 410 "likes" and 17 shares, and positive 15 comments.
Crystal Jade Singapore spokesperson told TNP: "Our intention was to bring a touch of lightheartedness to the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day weekends with this campaign, which references a common Cantonese saying parents use to express exasperation over their children.
"A post was put up on our socials on 29 April to share about this campaign and also to illustrate the use of this phrase. We intended this to be a way for us to connect with our Cantonese-speaking audience in a relatable and humorous manner.
"However, we understand that humour can be subjective, and regret that this particular reference missed the mark and has caused unhappiness among some customers."
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