British video blogger Rhys William’s recent post was about him enjoying nasi lemak in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur.
It went viral, garnering more than 800,000 views in less than a week.
“Orang kata kat sini, nasi lemak memang best (I heard that people rave about nasi lemak here),” he spoke to the camera in a friendly charm of a schoolboy, as he navigated his way through an eatery in Kampung Baru.
Yes, this British lad speaks fluent Malay.
He was so good at it — no glaring English accent, mind you.
People would be forgiven for thinking that the words came from the mouth of a local.
“When I came here five years ago, the first meal I had was nasi lemak,” said the 25-year-old web designer, which probably explained his quick mastery of the language.
In an interview with the New Sunday Times, William said he made the effort to learn the language on his own, through reading and watching TV.
“I also had local friends who taught me and we usually go hiking and camping together. That’s when I brush up on my Bahasa.”
“Back when I first started speaking Bahasa Malaysia, my English accent was pretty strong.
“Now, people tell me that I have lost it,” he said.
Learning Bahasa Malaysia, Williams said, had helped him connect on a more personal level with locals.
“People have written to me and asked why I bothered learning the language, which they claimed as useless.
“Frankly, I am offended by that remark. No language in the world is useless,” he said.
With his growing popularity on social media, William said he had became more recognisable on the street, with people asking to be photographed with him.
That was the case when he, with this reporter, made his way to a Nasi Beringin stall at Menara Mutiara Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur.
Of course, he ordered his food in Bahasa Malaysia and ate with his hands “because that’s what I was told to do to enjoy it better,” he said.
“It’s good,” he said about the dish. “The rice is almost similar in texture to pulut (glutinous rice)”.
He said he first came to Malaysia as a tourist, spending a total of two weeks in the country and exploring the city and popular destinations such as Pulau Tioman.
“I found the capital city modern and very happening. It was the city that never sleeps. And then I went to Pulau Tioman, which blew me away.
“The sceneries are so varied here. And the soul of the city is something I have never felt before.
“That’s when I told myself that I wanted to stay her longer,” he said.
When he returned home in Croydon in south London, the United Kingdom, after his holiday, he could not get Malaysia off his mind.
So smitten was he that he decided to make another trip, this time staying for two months.
“It was then that I felt, ‘Hey this is the right place for me’.
“Malaysia sort of pulled me in with its charm and beauty. So I decided I was going to make Malaysia my home.”
Five years on and he said he
was still so much in love with the country.
“The good food across the country is Malaysia’s strong identity, making the country so unique,” said William, adding he had visited Penang three times.
“In Penang, I ate wonderful meals up to 10 times a day,” he said with a laugh, naming his favourite dishes such as char kuey teow, cendol, nasi lemak goreng and chee cheong fun.
“There is so much more that I have yet to try. I am going to enjoy my time exploring each one of them,” he said, adding that he recently was introduced to nasi kerabu and wanted to explore asam pedas.
On his blog www.matsallehcarimakan.com, William said it began as something to chronicle his adventure in Malaysia.
“Previously, I wrote about anything. Then, people started saying that I needed to write more about Malaysian food and culture,” he said.
The blog, written in Bahasa Malaysia, carries a small introduction about William and his mission:
“Niat saya dengan blog ni ialah untuk praktis tulisan saya dalam Bahasa Melayu, dan kumpul maklum balas pasal tulisan dan Bahasa Melayu saya, (I hope to brush up on my Bahasa Malaysia with my blog and seek feedback).”