Digital Book

History and Culture of Singapore’s KopitiamsKOPI WITH AH GONG!Kopi Written by Jasmine TanwithAh Gong! A digital book project for NM4229 1

KOPI WITH AH GONG! “COME, AH GONG 泡¹ KOPI FOR YOU!” My grandpa is turning 80 next year. Since picking up the habit of drinking coffee at the age of 16, he has been drinking coffee every morning. He affectionately addresses his morning coffee as kopi, which means coffee in the Malay language. Now you might have guessed it - my grandpa was the culprit that introduced me to coffee. I was only 14 then! “Very nice one, you try you won’t regret. After you drink this magical kopi, you will have the energy you need to finish your homework!”, he exclaimed excitedly as he handed me my very first cup of kopi o². 1 泡 (pào) means to confect 爽! in Mandarin. 爽! 爽! 2 Kopi o means black coffee. The term is a mix of the Malay language and Hokkien dialect. 3 爽 (shuăng) is an expression for pleasure and happiness in Mandarin. It is synonymous to “shiok!” in Singlish. 2

爽爽!!爽! KOPI WITH AH GONG! Ah gong likes his kopi black with a teaspoon of sugar Photo by Lim Chin Huang on FlickrI have to admit, it wasn’t love at first sip. The kopi o was reallyfragrant but it had a bitter aftertaste. I thought it tasted likeChinese herbal medicine!But the coffee did work its magic.Just a cup and all the weariness left my body.I couldn’t help myself from asking for a second cup... “AH GONG CORRECT RIGHT?! THE KOPI 爽³ HOR?” 3

KOPI WITH AH GONG! THE PERFECT CUP OF KOPI Grandpa is very picky about his coffee. Instant coffee is not allowed in the kitchen! His favourite coffee is the Nanyang roast. Strong, bitter Robusta beans are roasted with corn, sugar and margarine to achieve a full-flavoured, thick and fragrant roast. He would purchase grinded beans directly from the coffee bean manufacters and prepare the kopi at home with his kopi sock. Kopi socks at Tong Ah Coffee House Photos by Russel Wong at The Wong List 4

The art of making kopi KOPI WITH AH GONG!Photo by Liyin Yeo of Liyin Creative Studio THE ART OF MAKING KOPI Step 1: Coat the kopi sock with grounded coffee beans and place sock over a coffee cup. Step 2: Pour hot water into the sock and the coffee will be filtered through. Step 3: Sugar and evaporated milk are added. The result is kopi with a thick, sweet and aromatic flavour! 5

KOPI WITH AH GONG! “LAST TIME KOPITIAM VERY DIFFERENT ONE!” Grandpa loves visiting kopitiams¹ for kopi too. He told me that only men gathered at kopitiams in the early days. It was one of their main meeting points because coffee was the most affordable indulgence for them. Grandpa recalled a thrilling experience at the iconic Tong Ah Eating House, a coffeeshop located along Keong Saik Street which had opened its doors since 1939. He was sipping kopi when he saw a group of Chinese gangsters marching into the kopitiam. False walls hid the entrance to a back room, which was set up for gang meetings. In the past, some kopitiams were meeting points for gangsters, called samsengs, and secret society members! 1 Kopitiam means coffeeshops. The term is a mix of Malay language and Hokkien dialect. 2 Kaya is a food spread made from a base of coconut milk, eggs and sugar. 6

Tong Ah’s kaya toast and eggs KOPI WITH AH GONG! Photo by parenthetical.pilgrim on FlickrBut grandpa was undaunted. He continued to frequentTong Ah not just because of the kopi but also for their famouskaya² toast and half-boiled eggs. He was really upset whenhe heard the news that Tong Ah was moving out of its iconictriangle-shaped building to make way for an upscale cafe.Grandpa told me that he had lots of great conversations withhis old friends in that space. Although Tong Ah just moved tothe street across, he felt that the experience would never bethe same again... “I LOVE TO SIT THERE, DRINK KOPI AND THINK OF THE GOOD OLD TIMES. BUT NOW... CANNOT ALREADY.” The old Tong Ah Eating House Photo by Edwin Loh Pictures on Wordpress 7

KOPI WITH AH GONG! THE KOPITIAM EXPERIENCE I love visiting kopitiams with my grandpa. He knows the best places and I love spending time chatting with him over a cup of kopi. Also, I feel like I learn something new every time I step into a kopitiam! I’m not a stranger to the sight of umbrellas and packets of tissues on tables and I’m used to the sounds of the kopitiam. But I was surprised to see kopi in condensed milk cans topped with raffia strings and grandpa told me it was the traditional way to pack kopi for takeaways. Nowadays, takeaway kopi is packed in plastic bags that come with a string. Kopitiam brooches and magnets by The Little Dröm Store Photos from The Farm Store 8

HOW TO ORDER KOPI?!AND the one thing I can never master is the art of orderingkopi. Unlike most eating places, you won’t find a menu in thekopitiam. To make things even more challenging, there areso many unfamiliar terms spoken in dialect or Malay. Luckilyfor me, my grandpa is always there to help me! But for you,here’s a guide on how to order kopi! KOPI C KOPI O KOPI KOPI WITH AH GONG!Coffee with evaporated Coffee with Coffee with sweetened milk and sugar sugar condensed milk PENG / SIO Iced / Warm GAU / PO Thick / Thinner BrewKAH DAI / SIU DAI Sweeter / Less sweet 9

KOPI WITH AH GONG! KOPITIAM LINGO! Finally, another thing I find unique about kopitiams is the kopitiam lingo! I remember ordering a can of Coke Light when I was still a young girl and after taking my order, the kopi auntie shouted “Lai kor!”, which literally means underwear in Hokkien dialect. I was so confused and embarrassed!! My grandpa laughed and explained that Lai Kor sounds like Light Coke, especially since the kopi aunties and uncles don’t pronounce the consonants. Hence, the witty nickname! Here are more nicknames I’m sure you never knew! “小白兔” Carrot juice is nicknamed as Little White Rabbit in Mandarin probably because it’s assumed that rabbits love carrots! Photo from Boon Lay Stationery “CLEMENTI” The popular iced drink is nicknamed after a neighbourhood in Singapore because iced lemon tea rhymes with Clementi! Photo by Vkeong 10

“忘情水” KOPI WITH AH GONG! Influenced by 90s pop culture and Andy Lau’s hit pop song titled 忘情水 (pronounced as wàng qíng shuĭ), mineral water is nicknamed after the song which translates to Forget Love Water - a potion that helps one to forget about a painful love... Photo from F&N Beverages“SÍ GÍN NÀ”The nickname means little rascal in Hokkienand is probably derived because it rhymes withRibena. Little rascal may also be related to thebeverage’s TV commercial which shows littleblackcurrant berries running around like kids.Photo from Sam’s Groceria “MICHAEL JACKSON” The black and white beverage - a combination of soybean milk and grass jelly - is nicknamed after Michael Jackson because of his famous hit song “Black or White”. Photo by Elsie Hui on Flickr“AH HUAY”Chrysanthemum tea is nicknamed Ah Huayas the flower is known as Gek Huay in Hokkien.Ah Huay is also a pet-name for any stereotypi-cal unsophisticated Chinese girl, which literallymeans flower.Photo from Redmart 11

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