KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — The Parliament secretariat today said the “scissors salad” spelling error that drew widespread ridicule from Malaysians was a mistake by the firm catering the dinner in question.
It further explained that the faulty menu had not been viewed by guests at the dinner as the error was rectified before the event, and criticised the dissemination of pictures depicting the mistake.
“For your information, the menu card was prepared by the caterer, not the Parliament. However, we have spotted the spelling mistake and replaced it before the event started,” the secretariat said.
“Parliament regrets that some irresponsible individuals have made the issue viral, thus attracting negative perception on us.”
The menu, dated two days ago for a dinner in Parliament, contained spelling errors such as “scissors salad” in place of Caesar salad and with crème brûlée spelled as “cream brule”, along with other regular items such as pumpkin soup and lamb chop.
The hashtag #scissorssalad trended on Twitter and Facebook yesterday, with Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin posting a picture of scissors-shaped lettuce on Twitter saying, “Couldn’t resist. Hidop scissors salad,” which means, long live scissors salad.
The error also occurred when renewed discourse over the declining level of English among Malaysians is taking place, following Sarawak’s decision to adopt the language as one of its official tongues.
