2009/04/16
 
KUALA LUMPUR: Reasonably priced local food is the choice of Malaysians, with hygiene standards hardly a concern.

As two in three Malaysians eat out at least once a week, and two in five dine out almost daily or even more than once a day, the people must find local food reasonably priced.

It said Malaysians also eat out more frequently on weekdays than weekends -- an unusual trend seen in only three of the 14 countries surveyed.

The other two are Hong Kong and Japan.

Nielsen's survey showed that six in 10 Malaysians dined out with family and friends.

Only 17 per cent of Malaysians from among the 26,000 Internet users worldwide who took part in the survey, go out for romantic dinners with their partners.

Work colleagues, at 15 per cent, are even less preferred as dinner companions.

The survey conducted in November 2007 also showed that Asians were less affected by the global financial meltdown as they continued to entertain and eat out more.

"Europeans are more likely to be tightening their belts and curbing their out-of-home entertainment," said Chew Li Sa, associate director of consumer research at Nielsen, commenting on the survey findings.

The survey found that consumers all over the world preferred local cuisine, with international favourites Chinese and Italian cuisines being close runners-up.

Australians, however, chose Chinese as their favourite food over their local fare.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/2532898/Article/index_html