MASTERCHEF contestant, Michelin star winner, and London restaurateur Elizabeth Haigh is in some hot water, as her recent book ‘Makan’ has been pulled by publisher Bloomsbury after it was hit by accusations of plagiarism.
Haigh, who lives in London but is Singaporean-born, apparently lifted both recipes and reminiscences of growing up in Singapore from a 2012 book ‘Growing up in a Nonya Kitchen’ by Sharon Wee.
“I was therefore distressed to discover that certain recipes and other content from my book had been copied or paraphrased without my consent in ‘Makan’ by Elizabeth Haigh, and I immediately brought this matter to the attention of the book’s publisher, Bloomsbury Absolute,” Wee said in a statement.
Haigh, who runs a Singaporean coffeeshop-inspired restaurant in London called Mei Mei, has not publicly responded to the allegations. Yesterday, on her Instagram she commented on World Mental Health Day, and earlier today she was featured in Uncle Roger’s latest YouTube video.
Going back to the book, many of the recipes and prefaces in ‘Makan’ are claimed to be barely changed from Miss Wee's version.
While it’s very possible that different chefs can come up with the same or similar recipe, how Haigh phrases her explanations and the supposedly personal recollections of growing up in Singapore raised eyebrows.
While Wee wrote “Ginger is thought to pukol angin (beat the toxic gases and dampness out of you to relieve aches and pains). Hence, post-natal mothers were given lots of ginger to ‘beat the wind.’”
Haigh’s version: “Ginger is thought to have healing properties – pukol angin (to beat the toxic gases and dampness out of you to relieve aches and pains). This is why postnatal mothers were given lots of ginger to ‘beat the wind’ …”
Wee received no credit for her work. – The Vibes, October 11, 2021
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