Копитиам: Традиционные кофейни Юго-Восточной Азии

Traditional coffee shop found in Southeast Asia

the traditional coffee shop found in Southeast Asia

A kopitiam or kopi tiam is a type of coffee shop mostly found in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Southern Thailand patronised for meals and beverages, and traditionally operated by the Chinese community of these countries. The word kopi is an Indonesian and Malay term for coffee and tiam is the Hokkien/Hakka term for shop Traditional kopitiam menus typically feature simple offerings: a variety of foods based on egg, toast, kaya, plus coffee, tea, Horlicks and Milo. Modern kopitiams typically feature multiple food stalls that offer a wider range of foods.

Kopitiams in Singapore are commonly found in almost all residential areas as well as some industrial and business districts in the country, numbering about 2,000 in total. Although most are an aggregate of small stalls or shops, some may be more reminiscent of food courts, although each stall has a similar appearance and the same style of signage. In a typical kopitiam, the drinks stall is usually run by the owner who sells coffee, tea, soft drinks, and other beverages as well as breakfast items like kaya toast, soft boiled eggs, and snacks. In Singapore, the coffee in kopitiams is made from Robusta beans. Kopi (coffee) was introduced to the island in the mid 19th century. Robusta beans, brought in from Indonesia via Arab traders, were preferred by the majority of the local population, compared to the more expensive Arabica beans favoured by the European population working in Singapore. Most kopitiams in Singapore comprise of the drinks stall and food stalls leased by independent stallholders who mainly focus on a variety of food dishes that are commonly found in Singaporean cuisine. Traditional dishes from different ethnicities are usually available at kopitiams to encourage people from different ethnic backgrounds with different dietary habits to dine in a common place or even at a common table. Kopitiam is also the name of a food court chain in Singapore. Some of the popular kopitiams in Singapore include Kim San Leng, Killiney & Tong Ah Eating House, or Ya Kun Kaya Toast. Some of the more common foods that can be seen in kopitiams, besides the ever popular soft boiled eggs and toast, consist of char kway tiao (fried flat rice noodles (hor fun), sometimes cooked with eggs and cockles), Hokkien mee (yellow wheat noodles served with various seafood as well as egg) and, possibly the most common, nasi lemak (a Malay dish of coconut flavoured rice, served with sambal, egg, roasted peanuts, fried anchovies, etc. ).

"Coffee shop talk" is a phrase used to describe gossip because it is often a familiar sight at kopitiams where a group of workers or senior citizens would linger over cups of coffee and exchange news and comments on various topics including national politics, office politics, TV dramas, sports, and food. Former Too Phat member Malique has a song called "Cerita Kedai Kopi", satirizing the stereotype.