Introduction

The theme of this book is kopitiam.

What is kopitiam?

Kopitiam is a coffee shop mainly found in Malaysia and Singapore, where “kopi” means

coffee in Malay and “tiam” means shop in Hokkien dialect.

A typical kopitiam serves coffee, half-boiled eggs, toast and local cuisines such as noodles

and nasi lemak. It is a common sight to see people spending a meal together or enjoying

their morning routine leisurely by having a sip of the traditional black coffee with sweet-

ened condense milk.

Through the concept of The Gem in The City, I want to create an awareness as I realize

this cultural tradition is slowly vanishing from our fast-paced lifestyles and is replaced by

a new trend of modern kopitiam chains.

The focus of this book is mainly on traditional kopitiam to show the human context, fa-

cades, interiors and food culture that can rarely be spotted in the generic kopitiam chains

nowadays.

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First, I would like to thanks to my dad for willing to provide me with transportation and being

supportive.

Next, I am grateful to all the owners who gave me permission to take pictures in their shops.

I want to thanks my lecturer, Ms. Norma too for the tutorials and suggestions given.

Lastly, thanks to my friends, especially Chai Hui, Chen Liang and Leon for all those useful ad-

vices.

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1. Chong Kok Kopitiam

No 5, Jalan Stesen, 41000 Klang.

Literally translated as China Coffee shop, it is established since 1941.

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Red pineapples meaning “luck comes”. 4

Façade of Chong Kok Kopitiam. 5

Expressions of

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leaving customers.

Pondering the future. 8

Paying the bill at the counter.

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The long kitchen corridor. 10

The hardship behind the story of a dishwasher. 11

Friendly interaction between waitress and customers. 12

Traditional methods: 1. Brewing coffee with a steep metal pot and a cotton “sock” filter

2. Slicing bread loaves. 13

Life as a 14

nasi lemak seller at the kopitiam. 15

Left interior:

Traditional Chinese lunar calendar and altar seen hanging on the wall. 16

Right interior:

Long shop structure that is usually seen in old Chinese shop houses. 17

The contrasts:

The staring down and the looking up. 18

Man in blue. 19

Technology gadgets:

Reading on something attentively. 20

Talking to the phone. 21

An old safe and a key rack for the used-to-be hotel. 22

2. Lok Ann Hotel

113, Jalan Petaling, 50000 Kuala Lumpur.

Started as a kopitiam in the 1938 and becomes a hotel in 1955.

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Façade of Lok Ann Hotel. 24

The sidewalk, the pathway, the kopitiam. 25

The old inscription board with a “113” number plat next to it. 26

The oldman and the cup of coffee. 27

Lean back, cross the legs and read the newspapers. 28

Old pictures of the hotel since the 1930s. 29

Old metal grills. 30

3. Hao Ke Café

Jalan Puchong, Puchong, Selangor.

Run by a friendly family, it is a small café I found while searching for old kopitiam in the

Puchong New Village area.

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A traditional machine to make Pan Mee( Hokkien-style noodles). 32

Coffee cups and coffee plates arranged neatly on the egg tray. 33

The perfect brew of coffee! 34

The making of the coffee. 35

A nostalgic taste:

Planta (margarine) and bread. 36

The helpful daughter sprinkling sugar on the bread. 37

Lunch with the family. 38

The end

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