![]() I asked my Asian friends to send me pictures of their dads who are always wearing polo shirts and cargo shorts. How would these grumpy middle aged uncle types react to certain things in life? I started putting together all the things I remember from my childhood, like the one leg on the chair. ( Puts on an accent) “Don’t worry, blood on the wall, someone died here before. What if a grumpy Asian real estate agent was showing people houses? You know those Asian uncles-they’re a bit scammy. I had been riffing on the idea on my podcast, ‘Rice To Meet You,’ with my co-host Evelyn Mok. How did Uncle Roger the character come about in lockdown? You just felt what the masseuse did to your whole body, ‘no no no, don’t come anywhere close to my dick.’ But if it’s a good Thai massage, you don’t want a happy ending because you’re scared of the masseuse. The crux of the joke is, people think of Thai massages, happy endings etc. I have a joke where I talk about the masseuse, hammering away at my bones, hurting me with their elbow and stuff. But in the West, there’s a difference of perception of what Thai massages are about, with sex workers and ‘happy endings.’ Not sure about misunderstandings, but here’s an example: people have heard of Thai massages right? I love getting a Thai massage in Malaysia. Books About the Asian American ExperienceĪre there ever cultural misunderstandings?.They’re like "Really? Is bokchoy different here?" It takes explaining. If I perform to an audience in rural England, they might not know what ‘mochi’ is. You have to figure out what people respond to, see where the limits of their knowledge lie, especially when it comes to our culture. Some jokes are more universal than others. Everyone has a different perspective, is ‘why is Western bokchoy so much bigger than Asian bokchoy? Comedy is always the best when you talk about little things people don’t notice, but you notice and find the humor in it. It’s observational comedy through an Asian lens. for college and work, then moved to the UK in 2015. I’m born and raised Chinese Malaysian, and moved to the U.S. Esquire caught up with Ng about what it's like to have his world turned upside down so many times in the span of a calendar year, and how he thinks Uncle Roger is lifting up the culture.ĮSQ: How would you describe your comedy style? Maybe like East meets West? Ng's plan is to keep pushing boundaries when it comes to talking about race-even if it hits a nerve with Western Asians. "I do that accent sure, but one that’s faithful to what I grew up with," he says. Ng himself was recently attacked in a possible hate crime, and pushes back against the argument that Uncle Roger perpetuates a stereotype. Ng has received mixed feedback from viewers, with some calling Uncle Roger a stereotype in a time of heightened attacks against Asians around the world. And while the Uncle Roger character started as a lockdown project, it is now firmly part of the quarantine cultural canon with 221 million views and counting. Ng, who is based in London, had quit his job as a data scientist to do comedy full time when the pandemic hit and he lost all his gigs. That video, and those that followed, quickly struck a chord with Asian people around the world as a comedic take on the way Asian culture is frequently denigrated and re-versioned to suit the vision, needs, and profit margins of others. In the video that sparked it all for him, his character, "Uncle Roger," watches aghast at a BBC Food egg fried rice recipe, where cooked rice is drained through a colander and other rice-related sins are flagrantly committed. HAIYAA with Nigel Ng, people! Got it? Thank you.In July 2020 Malaysian comic Nigel Ng went viral overnight. Tell them to listen to HAIYAA with Nigel Ng. Or send an email: some friends about it too for crying out loud! I can’t be doing all the work here, haiyaa. HAIYAA with Nigel Ng, people! Got it? Thank you. Whether you’ve disappointed people, or the world’s disappointed you: +44 20 3920 8290 Leave a voicemail and tell me about your big disappointments. Nigel's disappointments this week:0:00 Intro & covid craziness 6:55 Ep 1 response (ok this wasn't disappointing!)11:46 Average-sized dick jeans crotch problem 20:16 Street WhatsApp group 25:02 Being bad at gift giving 34:57 Uncle Roger story time 43:53 Listener disappointment Subscribe NOW so you don’t miss Episode #3. Welcome Uncle Roger to Episode #2 of HAIYAA with Nigel Ng! In this week's podcast, along with Nigel's disappointments, Uncle Roger's taking us back in time to when he first met Auntie Helen. ![]()
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