A generation ago, when Malaysians still talked to most of their neighbors, they would often invite each other over for coffee and a chat. Today, Malaysians tend to have coffee at Kopitiams (Cafeterias) or in restaurants or coffee shops like Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Coffee at the local shops can be as cheap as RM 1(30 cents), but as expensive as RM 15 for a specialty coffee at Starbucks or the Coffee Bean.
Malaysia has their own style of offering coffee. Below are a few of the most common coffee options.
Kopi is the standard coffee and includes sugar and milk-often sweetened condensed milk is the additive.
Kopi-O is coffee without milk (sugar is still included).
Kopi kosong (plain) is without sugar (milk is still included).
Kopi-O-kaw is unsweetened black coffee.
Kopi-C has unsweetened evaporated milk.
Kopi-peng will get you an iced Kopi (or you can order Ais Kopi).
You can also order Kopi panas (hot) or ais (iced).
You can also order tea (teh) the same way as coffee. It’s quite surprising that people aren’t fat here considering how much sugar they enjoy in their coffees.
My experiences as an expat in Malaysia is that every group you join has weekly or monthly coffees to socialize. In Mont' Kiara where I live, they congregate at the Coffee Bean where there is always a line out the door.
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| Kopi |
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| Kopi (notice the condensed milk at the bottom) |
I love this post, as I miss kopi tiams. In fact, the only thing we brought back from Singapore was a kopi tiam table, which is now our kitchen table. And we called coffee with condensed milk kopi susu. It sounds like the designations are slightly different in Malaysia, but I can still almost smell the coffee from your pictures!
ReplyDeleteOh, you are speakin' my language! For so many reasons, I want to sit down at your table and have coffee with you!! Funny-before I even loved coffee, one of the most memorable parts of my trip to costa rica was the coffee. i looked forward to my cafe con leche every morning there. Thinking about it transports me back-feels like i'm sitting there when I close my eyes.
ReplyDeleteLove coming along on your journey(s) with you - what a treat for me.
And, unschool, I'm appreciating your table even more now : )