Those of you who are familiar with Thai food would know the Crying Tiger Beef (Sua Rong Hai) dish, or popularly known as ‘daging harimau menangis’ on our shores.

The dish consists of thinly cut slices of marinated beef grilled to perfection, served with Thai sauce and occasionally with sticky rice as well.

On Wednesday, Twitter exploded with some ‘daging harimau menangis’ drama to the point that it was trending at #1

Apparently Neelofa’s mother, Datin Noor Kartini, who runs a food business, has filed an application to trademark the term ‘Harimau Menangis’.

What is 'daging harimau menangis'?

Before you pick up your pitchforks, it definitely doesn't mean that the meat came from a crying tiger.

The part of a cow that's named the 'daging harimau menangis' is actually the bottom sirloin, one of the most sought-after beef parts in the market.

Located at the upper hip, the bottom sirloin is the most tender cut of the cow.

According to local myths, the bottom sirloin is called the 'daging harimau menangis' because the cow's hip bones prevent a tiger's mouth from reaching the part, so it does not get to savour the tenderness of the part.

And because they can't eat the tender part, the tiger would be sad, hence the name 'daging harimau menangis'.

Netizens vs. Neelofa’s mom

So, why are netizens unhappy with Neelofa's mother?

You see, Noor Kartini has been selling her own version of the ‘harimau menangis’ dish via her own business, Aunty Tini’s Kitchen, for a few months now, and perhaps to further strengthen her position in the market, she decided to file a patent for the name of the dish.

A screenshot of her application to the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) has gone viral on the internet.

The photo itself has triggered netizens, as many fear that they would not be able to sell the same dish in the future, especially with the economic situation in the country.

To further add fuel to the fire, a short clip from Noor Kartini’s Instagram stories shows her cooking the beef dish while saying, “We’ve trademarked ‘Harimau Menangis’, Aunty Tini’s brand”, to which the person recording replied: “So now, no one can use the word ‘Harimau Menangis’ anymore”.

She clearly said “letaklah nama harimau mengilai ke, harimau beranak ke, harimau kentut ke, hehehehe, tapi bukan harimau menangis” so para dua tu totally bs.Why surat kuning? Raja kah? Ye kot. Raja bs. Lol https://t.co/hfuIdEdwYD pic.twitter.com/a8cdtduIG3

— M|I (@Muiz_Roin) January 13, 2021

Noor Kartini then continued to say that because they have 'trademarked' the terms, others should opt to use the names ‘harimau mengilai’ or 'harimau beranak’ instead.

This led to a group of netizens launching a campaign calling on Malaysians to submit their objection towards the trademark at MyIPO.

Some who were oblivious to what the term ‘Harimau Menangis’ means found humour, and said the only crying tigers they’ve heard of were probably their bank accounts (read: Maybank) or the famous beer brand.

I showed my mom the vid of the “Harimau Menangis” and my whole life, I’ve never seen her this enraged. She was heartbroken and angry.She said “Sampai hati guna tongs besi with a non-stick!”

— Zul. (@zfatlee) January 13, 2021

Daging Harimau Menangis milik sesiapa sahaja. Orang Thai terlebih dahulu namakannya sebagai Sua Rong Hai berdasarkan cerita rakyat. Dan resepi daging ini boleh didapati oleh tukang masak dari seluruh dunia. Sila duduk dan muhasabah.

— Ikhwan (@JatIkhwan) January 13, 2021

Bullshit. There is a video of you saying other people should use other names just because you are trying to trademark the Harimau Menangis. Penggayaan, susun atur grafik dan kod warna my ass! https://t.co/QsL4IPU73x

— A M R (@ameelms) January 13, 2021

Buzz off! You thought you wanted to use this as a marketing strategy kan? Your joke was distasteful and evil. Congratulations now Malaysians should know what Harimau Menangis brand they SHOULD NOT BUY from. https://t.co/SbvcjM4uLp

— ?✨ (@YLL0M) January 14, 2021

Aku tahu dua ni je.Harimau menangis Harimau bergembira pic.twitter.com/vgo8Och8Vo

— 大小姐 (@4ngelinaChin) January 13, 2021

The only harimau menangis I know is my akaun Maybank uhuhuhu

— Seri Amerta (@HisyamAzizi) January 13, 2021

Crazy on how rich people can simply tindas other small sellers & laugh while they are doing so.You’re not the pioneer, makcik. Daging Harimau Menangis tu memang nama dia dari dulu. Jadi bila orang lain jual pun, memang itulah nama dia. The taste however, will be different. Haih https://t.co/TcR2bYYJ8R

— Nurin (@Nuyenggg) January 13, 2021

Honestly harimau menangis is a name/term from Thai Isaan, means everytime you eat the meat, you will cry. Hence, the term harimau menangis or “sea rong hai” And how could she claimed that it’s hers omg kapitalis babi https://t.co/8I8KtCBwkN

— Bbg (@nnetra_) January 12, 2021

Aunty Tini is ✨ C A N C E L L E D ✨ https://t.co/nF7IscWwjt

— Dai Syed Al-Sigaraga (@syedsigaraga) January 13, 2021

Damage done, statements out

Since the matter has gone out of hand, both Noor Kartini and MyIPO have issued statements about the trademark kerfuffle.

According to Aunty Tini’s official Instagram page, they have filed a trademark for the stylisation, graphics, and colours for the word ‘Harimau Menangis’ on the packaging, not the term as a whole.

She says that the reason for doing so is to avoid counterfeit products in the market, and that the brand has never stopped anyone from selling the same dish.

“We would also like to apologise for the poor choice of words used in the video that went viral on social media recently,” the statement ended.

MyIPO, on the other hand, says that Noor Kartini’s application in November is still under review and has not been approved, making it exclusive to her.

KENYATAAN MEDIA BERHUBUNG PERMOHONAN CAP DAGANGAN HARIMAU MENANGISBerikut adalah kenyataan media oleh Ketua Pengarah MyIPO berhubung isu berkaitan pic.twitter.com/AIu80Kzeta

— IP Malaysia (@myipo) January 13, 2021

“We hope Noor Kartini would not precede our judgement or verdict to her application and claim that ‘Harimau Menangis’ has been trademarked under her.”

However, there's been no word yet on when MyIPO will release their results on the application, so it seems like netizens would have to wait and see.

So folks, let this be a lesson to always be cautious with what you say on social media because you’ll never know when it will come back to bite you.

UPDATE: Noor Kartini has decided to cancel her trademark application after the issue went viral overnight.

"I apologise and I realise the mistake I made and I hope with my latest decision will help put the matter to rest," Noor Kartini said in a video posted on her Instagram account.

She also added that the reason she filed for a trademark registration in the first place was to protect her business and agents.