At least, that’s what TasteAtlas, an international food guide website, seems to be asserting with its list titled “The 100 Best Rated Street Foods in the World”.

Published this month, the list takes a hundred dishes from all over the world before ranking them according to how many of five stars they earn.

In 2022, the classic Malaysian dish of roti canai was crowned king of all street foods, sitting in its lofty spot at the top of the list.

Unfortunately, this year, the flatbread has since received a little demotion as another dish, this one from China, has clinched the coveted position in 2023.

Who is the rascal responsible for this usurpation? Get the pitchforks and torches ready! It’s… the guo tie? Wait, what the heck is a guo tie anyway?

Oh, it’s the potsticker. “Guo tie” just happens to be the Mandarin name of this soft and crunchy fried Chinese dumpling.

While the guo tie is now wearing the crown, it should be noted that both it and the roti canai share the same number of stars, namely 4.8.

Hence, one could argue that the roti canai is no lesser than the guo tie in terms of tastiness. Either that or this is just a Malaysian way of coping with the loss.

So, what did TasteAtlas say about the country’s favourite flatbread? The entry most delves into how a roti canai is made and its ingredients.

The second of two paragraphs dedicated to the roti goes on about how roti canai was introduced to Malaysia by its Indian community and how it’s best enjoyed with curry.

Shame that no mention is made of the many variants of roti canai out there, what with some folks eating it loaded with Milo powder of all things.

The fact that one can eat roti canai at literally any time of the day also goes unmentioned, which is quite a shame as that is part of the attraction.

As to the rest of the top five best street foods, Mexico happens to walk away with two.

Tacos enjoy the bronze medal, which is quite understandable all things considered. Fourth place goes to a certain shredded pork dish called carnitas.

Japan’s karaage quietly occupies spot number five, with the dry-fried chicken snacks being familiar to most Malaysian Japanophiles.

Two regional neighbours have the honour of being in the top ten, with Vietnam’s banh mi coming it at number six and Indonesia’s siomay snagging the 10th spot.

While national pride will no doubt be somewhat bruised by the truly unfortunate fate of roti canai, there is reason to take comfort.

One Malaysian favourite has also squeezed itself at the very end of the list, namely char kway teow, sitting at the 100th position.

Most unfortunately, there are two islands which are listed as its origin. One is Penang, rightfully so. The other is a certain affluent island down south which must not be named… ok, Singapore.

There are some criticisms that one could make about the list though. For one, pisang goreng, a classic snack in Malaysia, is listed at 41st place.

Strangely enough, its country of origin is listed as Indonesia, rather than being jointly awarded to Malaysia as well.

And there’s also the fact that banana fritters are widespread throughout south and southeast Asia, with no one origin.

Satay also appears at number 88, though there is actual historical evidence which suggests the meat skewers originated from Java. So, no complaints there.

However, response to the list from Malaysians has largely varied, with some just glad Malaysia has received some international representation while others have valid concerns.

Several Twitter commenters questioned TasteAtlas’ credibility to create such a list, especially when the same food guide rated nasi lemak a mere “OK” last year.

Twitter user ‘sengat_nenas’ asked the profound question, “How is it street food when you need to sit at a table to eat it?”

Another comment by ‘Dapoq_pdot’ questioned TasteAtlas’ ranking system and also pointed out that one literally needs a table to eat roti canai with the accompanying curries and gravies.

This would not be the first time TasteAtlas has incurred the wrath of Malaysian foodies though, with their 2023 list of the Top 10 Most Popular Noodle Dishes in Southeast Asia raising eyebrows.

In that list, Laksa, Char Kway Teow and Curry Laksa were all stated to originate from… that one island. Sigh – Singapore!

Oh, well. Let’s just celebrate by eating roti canai and hope that TasteAtlas will recognise the superiority of Malaysian cuisine over that of a certain southern neighbour.