Before I go any further, it should be said that McDonald’s Nasi Lemak burger has the “nasi lemak” bit in double quotation marks, which implies a number of things. I can’t remember if that’s new for the second coming of the burger, but if anything, it raises several uncomfortable issues.
- Its Nasi Lemak burger doesn’t have any actual nasi lemak (you know, the pandan/coconut rice) content.
- That the burger has a serious existential crisis, because what is even nasi lemak without any nasi lemak.
- Hence, I suppose, the double quotation marks. Way to manage expectations, Ronald.
- That Maccas, while it has an exceptionally good grasp of supply chain management, has an exceptionally poor grasp of grammar, because double quotation marks SHOULD ONLY BE USED FOR BLOODY QUOTATION. REEEEEE.
And more than that, thanks Maccas. Now every time I see “Nasi Lemak” burger being spelled out, I imagine Dr Evil doing the air quotes thing in my head.
Or shoot up the screen/page like Herr Starr above. Seriously, if you haven't yet read Garth Ennis' Preacher, do it. It'll change your life.
More seriously though, I think this is also a good time to discuss if or if not the Nasi Lemak burger (I absolutely refuse to use the double quotation marks) is an egregious act of cultural appropriation.
Double quotation marks or not, and notwithstanding the fact the Nasi Lemak burger has most of the essential components of a good nasi lemak (the fried egg, sambal, cucumber, caramelised onions and fried chicken), it lacks the nasi.
This is a travesty.
This is fast food blackface.
But, is it possible to separate the two? To consider its rather unfortunate name and what is essentially a really decent burger as independent entities?
O Nasi Lemak burger, wherefore art thou Nasi Lemak burger? Deny thy maker and refuse thy name. ‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy. O be some other name. What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; So Nasi Lemak burger would, were it not Nasi Lemak burger call’d, retain that dear perfection which it owes without that title.
Apologies for ripping off Shakespeare (badly) there, but I have no doubt that did McDonald’s not call it the Nasi Lemak burger, people would be hailing it as one of the best special-edition burgers it’s ever come up with.
But, is it possible to separate the two? To consider its rather unfortunate name and what is essentially a really decent burger as independent entities?
Sure, there are a few niggles here and there, in the form of the sambal being a little too sweet and not having enough nuance, how it could do with a few more cucumber slices and the chicken patty being a touch too thick. But it’s like I said. Niggles.
That aside, it’s close to perfect. The chicken patty is light and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside (Maccas makes criminally underrated fried chicken), cut ever so gently by the sambal and enriched by the fried egg.
Even the bun is deserving of some praise. Dusted with a sprinkling of oatmeal, it’s sweet, light and admirably resists absorbing the sambal too quickly. This is high art. This is mad science.
Like all the best foods, there’s a certain je ne sais quoi about the Nasi Lemak burger that’s just so satisfying. I can’t put my finger on it, though if I had to guess, it’s my gastronomic lizard brain responding to the sodium, sugar and fat and giving me a corresponding endorphin rush.
And speaking of sugar, the best way to finish off that meal is with a Banana Pie, which is also another triumph. What I was expecting was a banana-ish, overly sweet chemical slurry, much like Maccas previous attempt with its Peach Pie some months ago.
Banana Pie, thankfully, is surprisingly subtle. Like you know, they put actual bananas in there and didn’t go all the way to town (it just went to the outlying suburbs) with the sugar.
I can imagine it going perfectly with a double espresso.
So, would the Nasi Lemak burger be even better received if they called the burger a McSambal instead? Perhaps.
What’s in a name, indeed?
PS: McDonald’s if you’re reading this, I want royalties if you’re going to name a future burger the McSambal.
PPS: I expect a lot of royalties.
PPPS: You’re welcome
10-word review: No full Snackgasm, but I did say it wasn't perfect.
Best paired with: Actual nasi lemak.
