Canteens, Coffeehouses, Kopi Tiams, Mamak Stalls & Starbuckies

I started writing this entry in the morning while enjoying a coffee at my favourite cafe. It occurred to me that throughout our lives, if we added up all the hours, many of us would probably have spent a number of years at such outlets. And through that time, the kinds of outlets we visited might also have changed. I can think of five main types of outlets we would have frequented ...
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(1) Canteens

When we were students, we used to get our refreshments at our school canteens or places associated with the school, like St Michael's Canteen. For those readers too young to remember, St Michael's Canteen was originally the canteen that served St Michael's Club just next door. The Club used to have facilities for reading newspapers, playing mahjong and card games, and a very popular billiards table. The Club was closed many years earlier, and even the building was torn down, leaving the Canteen (which had become a favourite among students from nearby schools) still operating. Later even the Canteen building was pulled down, and the operator (John & family) moved to a shop near 3rd mile. (WJ request: If anyone has an old photo of the original St Michael's Club or Canteen, please do send me a scanned copy !)

(2) Kopi Tiams

The local kopi tiam (literally "coffee shop" in Hokkien) was brought to Nanyang by the immigrant Chinese in the mid 19th century. Back then, certain Chinese dialect groups were particularly well known for setting up good kopi tiams, although, of course, these days such categorisation doesn't apply any more. I always associate the kopi tiams of old with the heavenly aroma of freshly brewed local coffee, the shouts of the waitors ("kopi oh no!" meaning two cups of black coffee), the whitish marble top tables, the familiar cups & saucers with the green floral design, and the spitoons.

(3) Coffeehouses

Do you remember those? The ones which were popular during the 70s were Aurora coffeehouse, Greenroad coffeehouse, Supersonic and an outlet in Padungan, the name of which escapes me. Common features were that they were air-conditioned, mostly with tinted windows, sometimes with dimly lit interiors, usually offering both western and asian selections (sometimes with all-you-can-stuff-your-face buffets). They were also a bit more pricey.

(4) Mamak Stalls
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In West Malaysia, Mamak Stalls can be found in every busy neighbourhood and are very popular. The term "Mamak Stall" never quite caught on in Sarawak, although with more West Malaysians working and living in Kuching, you do sometimes hear it being referred to. These outlets typically offered a variety of food (bread, murtabab, roti canai, Indian rojak, mee goreng ...) and drinks (teh tarik being the most well known).
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For market differentiation, each outlet probably had its own Mamak Specials, competing on cup size, service and opening hours.



(5) Starbuckies

This category includes Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Spinelli's, Old Town and all the other more upmarket chains. The coffee chain is a Western import, although some Asian companies have started their own too. The concept is to provide a comfortable environment, where the patrons could enjoy their snacks and beverage - be in cuppacino or latte or expresso or other concoctions with fancy names - in a relaxing ambience. These benefits obviously come with premium pricing.
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So my friends, whatever you're doing now, do slow down, take a break and have a freshly brewed cup of KOPI-O ...
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