coffee bean, starbucks, kopitiam

more than a decade ago, the coffee culture took Malaysia by storm. Cafes mushroomed everywhere in KL's trendiest spots, and big names such as Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Starbucks made their presence felt. with these cafes, KLites often lepaked way into the wee hours, and now it has become a part of our pop culture. Even in the UK i found that the Brits take coffee more than tea now, so you see cafes here and there, and coffee vending machines in every R&R.

i was (still am) hooked on coffee, and my favourite was Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cafe, where i would order the ultimate ice blended - which is what malaysians would call it as "kaw" or the most bitter. if i go to Starbucks, it'll be because of this simply sinful but divine (an oxymoron, i must say) white chocolate cheesecake.

i was so hooked on coffee that i bought the beans and ground them myself at home so i could have my gourmet coffee anytime i wanted to. it was during this time that i discovered that much as i love my coffee, i cant take it regularly as i become jittery. just ask my niece Gina, of the incident when my head went haywire in Melbourne when i had coffee for breakfast for 2 days in a row.

with the discovery, i stopped taking the cuppa joe, and switched to cocoa instead. okay, it's harmless, but it doesnt have that tantalising and seductive aroma of coffee. trips to coffee bean and tea leaf meant non-caffeinated drinks, which was kind of boring for me.

we often glorified the western cafes, but Malaysia also contributed some to the history of cafes, because we have our own kedai kopi and kopitiam. my first encounter with kopitiam would be the urban Little Penang Cafe, where they use classic Chinese furniture found in any typical kopitiam. of course, when i go there, i dont drink coffee, i go for their char kuey teow (using chopsticks, of course) thanks to my Chinese roots. and years after Little Penang Cafe, updated and urban kopitiams slowly begin to appear, competing with the Western chain cafes.

so why am i writing about coffee, cafes and kopitiam today? because i just had my tea at kopitiam. i prefer kopitiam because it has the local touch to it, you see Chinese stools and tables and Chinese paintings, you also see everyday people enjoying meals. they serve Chinese dishes (halal of course), of which Malaysians are familiar of, and snacks such as roti bakar with butter and kaya, which can be found in any kopitiam.

yes, i still do frequent Coffee Bean and Starbucks, ordering non-caffeinated drinks and a piece of cake, sitting on the plush (well may be not so plush) chocolate sofa. may be this time around i'll try the ultimate blend again. i'm equally happy at the local kopitiam with our local setting. why? because we're of hybrid culture, the marriage of the local and international culture. so, whether it's Starbucks or kopitiam, it doesnt matter... it's the company that counts. and the food.