When Uncle Roger sees a street-side professional make Omurice, a Japanese omelette-rice dish, with perfection, he can’t hold his excitement and exclaims “Fuyoh”, a Malaysian slang that means “wow.” In the next moment, he utters “Haiyaa”, a sigh of exasperation as he sees a man failing to learn the dish from the same expert.
“Cooking eggs looks like defusing a bomb. This is more stressful than my divorce,” he utters in a video circulating on Instagram. Uncle Roger is none other than the Malaysian Internet sensation Nigel Ng. The 33-year-old comedian, Nigel, rose to fame in 2020 with his internet alter ego, Uncle Roger — a comical character imagined as a grouchy middle-aged Asian uncle who unapologetically takes pride in Asian culture. Roger has an opinion pretty much on everything, especially food that is close to the hearts of Asians.
His snarky yet honest food reviews of restaurants and recipes in a strong Cantonese accent draws laughter, earning Nigel, the creator of his character, a whopping following of more than 29 million, across all social media platforms!
Catapulted to fame from his portrayal of Uncle Roger, Nigel has since then performed sold-out shows in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Singapore, Vancouver, Toronto and more. He is coming to India, in Delhi, for the first time as part of his The Haiyaa World Tour. TMS speaks to the global comedy star on the upcoming event, how Asian jokes unite the diverse diaspora, his passion for food and punchlines, and more.
Food meets comedy
As food is the centre of most of the viral funny videos and stage set for Nigel, the artiste opens about his tryst with food that became the perfect ingredient for his comedy career. “I was passionate about finding the best dishes and their recipes that make it delectable and different. As a child, I used to cook a lot with my mother and enjoyed making dumplings.
We used to go out to eat at restaurants together. I remember after school, there was this stall that used to serve Pan Mee, a Malaysian soup noodle dish served in a broth. Every day after school, my brother, sister, and I used to sit together and relish it, having a good time as a family.”
Growing up, he levelled up his fork-game and took it to the Internet adopting the character of Uncle Roger. Telling us about him he shares, “Asians are extremely proud of their food. We love eating and talking about it. That’s how we enjoy our life and also connect with other people.
My character Uncle Roger also went viral because he values food much like other Asians. For instance, if a Jamie Oliver Restaurant puts chutney in butter chicken, it can fume up people and they will start complaining,” he says with a laugh. “Uncle Roger echoes their sentiment and hence is a hit.”
Scroll through Nigel’s social media and Uncle Roger can be seen reviewing everything under the sun — from egg fried rice to Pot Katsu Curry, a Japanese rice dish. Some of his viral videos have fetched 37 million views on YouTube! “I review people messing dishes up,” he says.
What makes Uncle Roger’s jokes a success? “I also review dishes from other cultures—like biryani, butter, chicken, and Thai delicacies. Talking about food enables me to know about new cuisines and cultures, and what makes a dish become people’s favourite.”
Beyond funny videos, the artist has just opened his first restaurant in Malaysia, in his hometown of Kuala Lumpur, this month. He calls it the first “Uncle Roger Restaurant” serving modern Malaysian cuisine with fried rice as a speciality along with dishes like Mala Okra Fries, Popcorn Chicken, and more. But why is Uncle Roger so special to him to name a restaurant after him?
“When I was deciding on my character’s name to make funny videos, I came up with this character, whom I imagine as a Malaysian Uncle. Malaysia, much like India, used to be a British colony. In my country, there are a lot of Malaysian people who have old-school British names like Winston or Charles. I needed a character name that exudes this British colonial vibe. Roger was the first name that popped up in my mind,” he shares.
The India tour
Uncle Roger’s heartfelt connection with India is tied to his love for biryani. In May this year, Uncle Roger reviewed Village Cooking Channel, an Indian YouTube channel run by a Tamil-Nadu-based family of farmers who share their love for cooking in open fields. “Uncle Roger loves the whole family cooking in the middle of nowhere…when I go to India I need to find these people,” he says in elation in a video that grabbed six million-plus views on YouTube.
Now, as Nigel brings Uncle Roger to India for a live gig, does he plan to visit them? “Having reviewed the Village Cooking Channel, I was thinking that ‘oh I am going to find an afternoon and go all the way from Delhi to Tamil Nadu and film a video with them’. But then I realised that India is a huge country and the distance is too much (smiles). However, I am excited to try all Indian food in Delhi, and meet my nephews and nieces (fans)!” he shares.
Nigel’s upcoming Delhi show will be divided into two sections. The first part will be of Uncle Roger on stage “roasting” and talking to the crowd. The second part will be Nigel doing a stand-up with observational comedy. “The audience can also expect some Asian jokes that they may find relatable. Fortunately, on The Haiyaa World tour, I have had memorable feedback.
The audience can expect a good laugh even if they do not like Uncle Roger’s sharp-tongued remarks (smiles).” Post the tour, the artiste plans to travel to the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur triangle and is excited to check out a few restaurant recommendations from friends.
Catch Nigel Ng perform live as part of The Haiyaa World Tour on September 21, 7.30 pm at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan. Tickets on BookMyShow.