of mamaks and kopitiams

the other day, when i was driving to work and listening to One.fm, a topic came across. the DJs mentioned about the mamak phenomenon, where we as Malaysians like to frequent and hang out. i beg to differ.


back in the days where i was in school/uni, we frequent mamaks, yes, that's true but as the new generation of kopitiams enter the arena, more and more people hang out at kopitiams. i think the youth these days would be more prone to "lepak" at Old Town or Papa Rich than at mamak stalls. the tides are changing.


gone were those days where mamaks monopolize the market. nowadays you will be as likely to hear "ipoh white coffee ice, satu!" as well as "roti canai, satu!".


or maybe i am bias. yours truly dislikes spending time in mamak stalls. why? cause i find the lack of cleanliness disturbing. well, okay, i guess you can say most restaurants are dirty, just that we don't know it as we can't see it. BUT think about this; already restaurants which look clean on the outside are unhygienic at the inside... what about mamaks which are seemingly dirty on the outside? wouldn't they be even more dirtier/unhygienic on the inside??????


ewwwwwwwww.... try ordering a limau ice (ice lime drink) and you'll see a layer of oil on top. i've sat in a mamak stall before and had a cockroach flew onto me!!! super yikes!! sometimes you will find a strand of hair in your maggie mee goreng or roti canai! and the hair might not have come from the head!!!! yucks!


i think i just lost my appetite. which is a good thing as i am trying to lose some weight. ahaha.. the story of my life. okay enough of dilly dallying, back to work!


p/s please note that not all mamaks are dirty and not all kopitiams are cleaner than mamaks. this post is just a personal view of mine.