Ronny Chieng

The Daily Show comedian on strange gigs, Crazy Rich Asians and where to eat in Singapore.

- Lee Tranlam

What memories of food do you have from your childhood in Malaysia?

At that age, you think food is food. You don’t realise that people make dishes in different ways. I would see my aunts, uncles and grandmothers do versions of the same dishes. When my aunt cooks the stuff that she used to cook when I was younger, it brings back the same memories. There’s a certain way she cooked chicken and potatoes, there’s a certain way she cooked spinach. Right now, it’s making me hungry.

EATING WITH You moved to Melbourne to study law, which inspired your sitcom Ronny Chieng: International Student. What did you eat on campus?

My palate was much more simple. We were eating such crap, everything was “good”. It was all about carbs. Anything that had halfway decent carbs in it, we’d eat it. We’d eat at the end of the day, when takeaway places were about to throw food out, and it would be cheaper. Pizza, fried rice: you can get it for $3 if you buy it just before closing.