We know how much Malaysians love food, regardless whether it’s local cuisine, Japanese, Korean, Indian or even Thai.

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.

Looks appetising...
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

Screenshot of the application sent in by Noor Kartini.
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”.

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.

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.

What say you?
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.

“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.

Watch her statement below:

A post shared by AUNTY TINI KITCHEN HQ (@auntytinikitchen.hq)