• Society

Tourism Ministry Requests Uncle Roger's Apology

• By Te Chhaysinh
• August 8, 2023 2:04 PM

PHNOM PENH – The Cambodian Ministry of Tourism has requested an apology from the comedian and Youtuber Uncle Roger for his comments regarding Cambodian cuisine.

The popular British-Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng, who invented the character of Uncle Roger – a caricature of Asian stereotypes – uploaded a video on July 30 to its YouTube channel, which has just passed the 8 million subscriber mark.

Entitled “Uncle Roger Make Adobo,” referring to a Filipino delicacy, the nearly 15-minute video contains comments that have “extremely disappointed” the Tourism Ministry, according to a statement posted on the ministry’s social networks on Aug. 8.

Around 3.5 minutes after the video started, Uncle Roger briefly portrays Cambodian and Laotian cuisine as inferior versions of Thai food.

“Not all Southeast Asian countries got good food, you know? You don’t want food from Laos and Cambodia,” Uncle Roger said in the video, talking to his guest. “Lao food [is] like [a] shit version of Thai food,” the comedian added a few seconds later.

The ministry’s declaration, which was only released in Khmer in its official version, stated that Uncle Roger “wrongly evaluates Cambodian food.” An unofficial translation in English was posted along with the Khmer official statement.

“The assessment of the above individuals [Uncle Roger] completely deviates from the reality of the prestige and identity of Khmer food, especially [it] has seriously affected Cambodian food tourism,” the statement said.

“The Tourism Ministry is working closely with relevant stakeholders and requests Mr. Nigel Ng or Uncle Roger […] to make a public apology to the Cambodian people and immediately edit the posted video on its social media channel,” the ministry added.

Extracts of these few seconds where the comedian criticizes Lao and Cambodian gastronomy have gone viral on social networks.

Ky Veasna, a tourism specialist, said on Facebook that asking for an apology from the British-Malaysian comedian might not be the most efficient way to answer his critics.

Instead, inviting Uncle Roger on a Khmer food tour to Cambodia, featuring him with other influencers over many channels, would have been a good way to promote Cambodian cuisine across the world, Veasna said.

“It’s only a bad joke that he made as a comedian. And that’s an opportunity we can promote our food. Why [is] everyone reactive? Asking for an apology is so desperate for me,” he posted on his Facebook.

“I think the government can work to promote food tourism by improving food hygiene at tourism sites. Not only the key food we usually know but the usual food that we eat daily, authentic experience,” Veasna added in a direct message to Cambodianess.

In response to the online criticism Uncle Roger got after his comments over Lao and Cambodian food, the 32-year-old comedian uploaded a video on his Facebook page in which he says he would be keen to change his mind.

“Uncle Roger vs Lao Food? Challenge accepted,” states the Facebook post.