Starchild: Malaysian children love juicy, tasty burgers

Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 7

Everyone knows what a burger is, right? A burger comprises a patty of ground meat, placed inside a slice of bun. It usually comes with cheese, tomatoes and ketchup.

Burgers were first introduced in the late 19th century. Did you know that besides fast-food burgers, there are many fusion burgers worldwide? Chef Keizo Shimamoto invented the ramen burger where a hamburger patty is sandwiched between two discs of compressed ramen noodles instead of two bun slices. In Pakistan, there’s the shami burger, where the filling is a mixture of lentil and minced lamb.

International Burger Day was celebrated last Saturday. Here’s what Starchild readers had to say on the topic, Burgers.

Chuah Seng Koon, 6

Chuah Seng Koon, six, likes the fish burger from Burger King. “However, I would like to make my fish burger tastier by adding lettuce, cheese, sauteed mushroom, and cucumber and together with my favourite sauces like tomato ketchup and mayonnaise sauce. I’m hungry just thinking about my yummy burger.”

Low Ying Tong, 8

Eight-year-old Low Ying Tong enjoys chicken burgers because it tastes delicious and juicy. “When I go to McDonald’s, I will always order a chicken burger. When chicken burgers are sold out, I will order a cheeseburger.”

Low Ying Xi, 10

Older sibling Low Ying Xi, 10, thinks hamburgers are one of the best types of food. “They are delicious, thanks to the juicy meat, lettuce, cheese and pickles. Hamburgers also come with a soft drink and a bag of fries. It is sad that we can’t eat too many hamburgers as they are bad for health.”

Norlick Titi, 7

Norlick Titi, seven, enjoy burgers with lettuce and cheese. “If I could design a burger, I’d call it “Kitty Patty” where the top part of the burger bun would be designed with pointed ears to resemble a cat.”

Hayley Liew Xin Yi, 8

“I want to make a hamburger with marshmallows, chocolate, gummy bears, cotton candy and chocolate syrup. My hamburger wold be called Sweet Patties,” eight-year-old Hayley Liew Xin Yi writes.

Claire Yap Jyn Wei, 6

Claire Yap Jyn Wei, six, like hamburgers because she enjoys eating burger buns. “Inside the buns, there are a lot of toppings like sauce, vegetables, meat, and ketchup. I drew many hamburgers, one is in a hot pan, some are happy, one is confused, one likes to ask questions, another one is angry, and one is very sleepy. I drew many different burgers to show that I like hamburgers very much.”

Sophie Yap Jyn Qing, 9

The hamburgers that we make at home contain meat and vegetables," says Sophie Yap Jyn Qing, nine.

Seven-year-old Bethany Wang Qi Syuen writes: “I prefer to eat burgers without cheese. I would like to create a family size burger with a meat patty, fries, nuggets, sausage, lettuces, and various berries sandwiched between two sesame seeded buns. It will be big enough for a family to share and eat together.”

Asher Wang Qi Chuen, 4

“I like my hamburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato sauce and a meat patty. I do not like sour pickles or gherkins. Some French fries will be perfect to go with it,” writes Asher Wang Qi Chuen, four.

Wong Cheng Yang, 8

Eight-year-old Wong Cheng Yang likes burgers with all types of toppings. “I like to eat hamburgers. You can find many different types of hamburgers in Burger King and McDonald’s. I like burgers with lettuce, egg, mayonnaise, chicken patty and tomato sauce.”

Wong Jie Ern, 6

Younger sibling Wong Jie Ern, six, writes: “I enjoy hamburgers with tomato sauce, mayonnaise, egg and ham.”

Ong Keat Hsin, 7

“Happy Hamburger Day, I love cheese burgers,” says Ong Keat Hsin, seven. - Compiled by Sheela Chandran

Find the hidden words!

ITEM: Imagine there is a school contest to design the most interesting lunch box. What would your food container look like? Do you want the usual square-shaped container with two or more compartments or do you prefer a triangular container for your sandwiches or a tiered tiffin-style container? Tell us what sort of food you would like to bring to school. What’s the menu for the different days of the week? Draw your lunch box and give us a peek of the delicious snacks you will be having. You can also draw a menu card or a picture of mum and you preparing food to bring to school. Or draw a scene where you and your friends are sharing food during recess.

Email your contributions to [e-mail] by June 23.

Please put “STARCHILD: Lunch Box” in the subject line of your email. Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200 dpi.

Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone number and address.

Please send us typewritten letters.