KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — We Malaysians like to think we CAN — whether it’s our nasi lemak, badminton players or writers — and are ever ready to fight anyone who says we can’t.
And while we are the first ones to whinge about our own government or whatever new laws we do not like, we will defend the country and its honour if any outsider disses us.
That’s just the way we are. Like a family in all its warmth and also dysfunction.
So imagine how happy I felt when I was reading a New York Times article about that most quintessential of American food — the hamburger — and found our own favourite Ramly Burger.
The headline of the article says it all: “The Burger is a Portrait of America”. And in it is a story of how that most American of food has evolved:
“Today, burgers can come packed with the cultural ingredients that make the country what it is: regional tradition and immigrant inspiration, deep history and blue-sky creativity, plantains and gochujang and even more of that cheese. Here are 11 variations that reflect the moment — and the limitless things a great burger can be.”
And of those 11 variations highlighted is “Ramly Burger at Kampar in Philadelphia”. I mean, if you are Malaysian and you read that, you are bound to sit up and go, “What?”
Ramly Burger, favourite street burger. As Malaysian as they come. Check. Kampar, a town in Perak and home to some great food. Check.
So yes, this portrait of the evolving American burger includes a restaurant called Kampar serving its own version of the Ramly Burger:
“The modern hamburger may have originated in the United States but it’s just as big a sensation in Malaysia, said Ange Branca, the chef and owner of Kampar.”
The story mentions Ramly bin Mokni “who started selling halal burger patties to Malaysian vendors in the 1970s.”
It goes on to say Kampar first started selling burgers during the pandemic but Branca — who is from Malaysia — continued to sell it even after the restaurant reopened.
When some customers questioned why a burger was on the menu of a restaurant serving Malaysian cuisine, her reply made me smile: “This is Malaysian food.”
We know, don’t we? Ramly Burger — in all its variations here and wherever there are Malaysians craving a taste of home — is Malaysian.
And I, for one, felt all proud (and a little smug if I was being totally honest) when I saw it name-checked in a foreign publication.
