When Lucas Neo launched his Exposing Michelin Hawker series on social media in September, he didn’t anticipate the backlash that would follow.
In these “brutally honest review” videos, the 35-year-old visited numerous Michelin-rated hawker stalls in Singapore to see whether the dishes lived up to his expectations.
Some of his negative food reviews — including one where he said chendol “no need skill, just assemble only” — sparked a wave of criticism from netizens, content creators and F&B businesses, saying they might affect the hawkers’ livelihoods.
In an interview with AsiaOne, Lucas acknowledged that such reviews can impact a hawker’s business, but also said: “To say one negative review can impact a hawker so extremely that they close down is false.”
Hawkers who received negative reviews from him would not lose support from the loyal customers they’ve earned over years of hard work, Lucas added.
“While some tourists may hesitate to try the food when seeing a bad review, others will be enticed to try it for themselves. It will all balance itself out over time.”
Some people also accused him of public shaming hawkers in his videos.
Calling this “ridiculous”, Lucas said: “The hawkers have done no wrong; how can they be shamed?”
A dish “not approved” by him does not mean the food is bad — it is just not to his personal preference, he explained.
“I’ve never discouraged anyone from visiting a hawker establishment. In fact, I always encourage people to go and form their own opinions.”
And despite the deluge of criticism he has received, Lucas chooses not to respond to the comments because it will make matters worse.
“Everyone can have their own opinion, they can have theirs. Having said that, I do not agree with personal attacks, that’s going too far.”
‘Unfiltered’ food reviews
When it comes to food reviews, Lucas believes in paying for the dishes and giving viewers his unfiltered opinion.
According to him, the videos are meant to be a form of entertainment to be taken with a grain of salt.
“The reviews are not meant to shame or ask the hawkers to change their iconic recipes; it is simply to share my personal opinion on their food,” he told AsiaOne.
Lucas also hopes that hawkers who come across the videos will view his feedback positively.
“Taste is incredibly subjective and the only real way to know if something is suitable for you is to go down and try for yourself.”
Such reviews also serve as free promotion for the hawkers, Lucas said.
Through his videos, “people who like that kind of food or just moved to the neighbourhood will hear of places they may not have known about before.”
From finance to food
An executive director in the finance industry, Lucas first started creating social media content in April to share his knowledge of financial services.
“I wanted to differentiate myself and add value to others through my content. So, I decided to do content on topics that I’m passionate about, which are food, fitness, and finance,” he told AsiaOne.
While brainstorming ideas for food content, Lucas decided to pursue what felt “most natural” to him — hawker food.
“I was raised on hawker food, eat it daily, and find myself craving it when I’m overseas. Thus, it was the easy choice,” he said.
He started filming his SG60 Hawker series, where he featured 60 hawkers before Singapore’s 60th birthday. This was followed by the Healthy Hawker series which highlighted healthier options at hawker centres.
As he was working on these videos, Lucas noticed several hawker stalls which piqued his curiosity about the Michelin Guide.
It led him to launch Exposing Michelin Hawkers — now renamed to Exploring Michelin Hawkers after taking public feedback— to review all Michelin-rated hawker offerings.
While Lucas plans to finish reviewing all 148 hawker stalls listed on Michelin Guide Singapore, he doesn’t intend on expanding the series to include restaurants.
“I’m a hawker boy through and through. Besides the fact that I love hawker food and hawker culture, I want to continue to uplift hawkers and encourage more people to eat hawker food on a daily basis,” he said.
“Restaurants don’t need the same help or marketing that hawkers do. There’s a reason Singapore hawkers are part of Unesco (intangible cultural heritage list) and I’m doing my best to support them.”
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melissateo@asiaone.com
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