Life | From kopitiam to cafe

My friend Yongliang called and asked if I wanted to "drink tea". The "drinking tea" here is not necessarily to drink tea. If you can go to drink coffee, bubble tea, or even drink juice, you can say whether you want to "drink tea" or not. , which means that you can meet and meet and drink anything.

After discussion, we decided to go to the recently opened Japanese cafe "KOHI" in the city to have a cup of Japanese coffee.

Maybe it's new, and it's opened in a department store. There are a lot of people, but I was lucky to find a place for two people. I still ordered hot mocha as usual. After drinking hundreds of cups of hot mocha, I know that the hot mocha tastes a little sour, and it is also sweet with fresh milk and chocolate syrup, but honestly I still can't tell which cafe is the most authentic and delicious.

Drinking coffee is something that happened after I came out of social work. Although my father also liked coffee before, he never made coffee at home. Maybe adults think that drinking coffee too early is bad for children's development. But it's not completely forbidden. Parents, friends and parents will not stop it if they go to drink it.

The first time I drank coffee was at my aunt's house. My aunt was very involved in our family. Apart from being my father-in-law's youngest sister, her youngest son was considered to be a parent, so she became a son for my parents and called my aunt Auntie, I also have a younger brother.

My sister-in-law was a psychic. After her death, she passed the mantle and mantle to my younger brother, her youngest son. My aunt loves coffee. Her daughter makes several pots of coffee every day and drinks it like boiled water for the whole family, so when I visit my aunt’s house, there is always a chance to drink a cup of coffee. But when I was young, I didn't like coffee, because all I drank was black coffee brewed with coffee powder at home. The taste was too sour and bitter, and it was not very friendly to children.

After working in the society, I had more opportunities to eat out at "kopitiam", and then I tasted other types of coffee except black coffee.

kopitiam is the name of a Malaysian tea room, kopi is coffee, tiam is a shop, the direct translation in Chinese is called a coffee shop, and a larger one is called a restaurant.

The types of coffee include Kopi C, which is coffee + evaporated milk + sugar, Kopi C Kosong is coffee + evaporated milk, Kopi O: coffee + sugar, and Kopi O Kosong is black coffee, without milk and sugar. The above coffee drinks can be served hot or cold. Their prices range from RM1.50 to RM3. Cold drinks are more expensive than hot drinks. At that time, my favorite drink was cold Kopi C.

In Malaysia, teahouses or catering shops are generally open, without air-conditioning. In addition to the owner running the water stall, he also rents the shop to multiple stalls to sell different cuisines. The prices are very common. At that time, everyone just came out of the society to work, and the salary is not high. If you want to party, drink tea, and eat, the tea room is the best choice.

Slowly, the living conditions were better, and it was also influenced by idol dramas. I saw that the male and female protagonists met in cafes, and they drank cappuccino. At that time, Kuching opened the first cafe. A friend made an appointment to go together. Although when I saw the price, it was 10 MYR for a cup, which was a little scary, but after drinking it once, I felt that the taste of coffee was not the same as the coffee I usually drink in the tea room, so I started drinking kabu Quinoa, latte, mocha, green tea, etc. After drinking for so many years, I finally fell in love with Mocha. I order it every time I go to a coffee shop, changing it up for a latte every now and then.

Because of the market, and the development of Kuching has become more and more internationalized, one after another cafes have opened, and the world-famous coffee chain Starbucks has also entered and opened many branches.

With the cafe, we are like lovers who have changed their hearts. The tea room has become a place to eat only, and we leave after eating. If you want to continue talking, go to a coffee shop instead. I like the environment of the cafe, which is quiet and air-conditioned. If it is a gathering of friends, you can sit for a longer time. After all, the weather in Malaysia is sometimes too hot.

Although there is no music in the tea room, there are chatting sounds in various languages, plus the reception of the staff, the sound of the spatula when frying, and sometimes there are TV broadcasts of ball games and fans cheering and cheering, making the tea room a world of people. A place that smells of fireworks.

The tea room is also an intelligence gathering place, especially during elections. People from all walks of life go to teahouses for consumption. When friends get together to drink coffee and eat delicious food, they will talk about their views on politics and major parties and their dissatisfaction. From this, you can know who the public supports. Of course, people usually talk about their views and dissatisfaction with some things, gossip about some things, etc.

In addition to gathering with friends, I go to cafes, and I often write manuscripts, read books, etc. in the cafe. Because it's quieter and doesn't feel awkward. Just imagine where you are in the tea room with your computer turned on and sitting for a long time writing a script, it's so weird. After all, people are in the business of selling food, and they have been occupying the seat, and the boss wants to drive you away. And the noisy environment makes it impossible to write quietly.

There is no saying that going to a coffee shop is more advanced, and going to a tea room is relatively low, but it is just some changes in living habits, and the requirements are different.