Boss, Kira!
May 23rd, 2007
there is this mamak stall near my place that i frequent. though to call it a mamak stall is a misnomer, because it is most definitely not the usual roadside or tepi longkang (translation : next to a drain. free waste disposal channels are always a plus for mamak stall proprietors on a budget) mamak stall usually lit with nothing but starlight and one flourescent light tube. but at the same time, it falls short of being called a restaurant or a cafe, for a reason i cant quite pin down.
long-time patrons of this place would remember a time where customers could opt to sit outside the little corner lot that this mamak stall operated from, in the open air and at plastic tables and chairs set up in a roadside area that served as parking spaces by day. back then, the most outrageous thing on the menu was bubble tea, and their decision to serve crushed ice in their drinks instead of the usual ice cubes was the talk of the town. a handful of shy Indian men ran the place, and you really didnt want to know where they kept their ice.
these shy Indian men have since bought over the mechanic’s workshop next door, and while the refurbished ex-workshop saw a brief glory period of being a shady snooker hall, it’s now been renovated into an extension of the mamak stall. from a dingy little lot bought when real estate prices were low, this place has graduated to become a people’s favourite, a hangout for young and old alike, an aggrandized foodstall with an extensive array of victuals that go way beyond the usual mamak fare of teh tarik and roti kosong with curry. heck, they even have wifi to entice the growing percentage of Web-savvy population. now you can check your blog comments over your maggi goreng! but you still dont want to know where they keep their ice.
random memories i have of this place :
celebrating my high school history teacher’s birthday. yes in a mamak, because he is so indian that way. we bought him a cake even though he cowers like a baby at the sight of sugar
all the times in Form 3 that waimin and i would stay here talking nonsense till 5 in the morning
Kevlar teaching me how to play pool. i was getting damn good at it too, but then we broke up
SPM month when i came here at 4am every morning for coffee and last-minute cramming
discovering poori
discovering thai coconuts
the time someone tried to pick me up by sending a plate of fries over to our table. wtf?
watching in horror as the cashier girl got slapped and hit by the owner of the place. he later took a tray of forks and spoons and threw it in her face. she had the biggest bump on her forehead for weeks after that
mee rebus and maggi kon lou with Martian after one of our Mont Kiara nights
being stalked
testing the owner’s Cantonese
a guy named Michael
buying DVDs with Timtam that i never watched
lynn-nee falling down even though i didnt see it
shishaing boredom away while watching footie with the boys
never coming here with azlan
discovering kaya cheese naan!!!!!!!
giving a beggar money and then having a guy from the next table come over to tell me that i shouldnt support the soliciting of money
talking about sex with jinhang and sieutheng
kok wai puking all over our shoes after clubbing one night
accidentally walking into their Mr Potato stand and knocking over all the Mr Potato tubes and then laughing like a hyena and stacking them all back according to colour
racing here with my brothers and then racing back
the time my brother gave my phone number to a DVD peddler in return for free dvds
i’m actually sitting here in this mamak nursing a coffee and trying to study for my SATs which is in about 10 days. panic panic panic! and the reason i felt so compelled to blog my love for this mamak stall is because they recently started serving diet coke. how can i not love this place even more now?
39 Comments Add your own
1. mrbherng | May 23rd, 2007 at 3:04 am
You must be one mamak lover.. and a much bigger diet coke fanatic!!
2. k0k | May 23rd, 2007 at 3:12 am
Cashier girl got slapped and hit… by the that same owner whose Cantonese you quizzed? You seem strangely nonchalant about that.
I watched the season finale of Heroes, and it was… … …
3. k0k | May 23rd, 2007 at 3:14 am
WTH bherng, why do I keep seeing you everywhere nowadays? Exam finish d issit? LOL
4. BENevolent Ben | May 23rd, 2007 at 5:11 am
wow our very own neighbourhood mamak getting a feature. and u still haven’t told me where they keep their ice
5. kiasu andrew | May 23rd, 2007 at 6:47 am
HHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH
“the time my brother gave my phone number to a DVD peddler in return for free dvds”
commoditization.
6. Michelle | May 23rd, 2007 at 6:50 am
Good luck in your SATs babe!
7. JustAnotherTragedy | May 23rd, 2007 at 7:31 am
Haiya that kiasu andrew stole my comment. Kiasu betul -.- hahahaha
8. sheon | May 23rd, 2007 at 8:53 am
Nice……..
Cheers! :)
9. Kevin | May 23rd, 2007 at 9:24 am
Hahhaahaa I still remembered I was there with you when that cashier lady got pzwned and you had the best view.. I didn’t even know what happened until you said omg haha, but I felt pretty bad for her
Wahh your bro is damn smart man..next time I shall try that too when I’m out with you to get free stuff ahaha
10. hw | May 23rd, 2007 at 9:29 am
SAT I or IIs? Where in the States you planning to head to? Hopefully not an ‘ulu’ place or a place constantly ravaged by hurricanes =D
11. hw | May 23rd, 2007 at 9:39 am
All the best in your SATs. Taking SAT I or II? Btw, where in the States do you plan to study? Hopefully not an ‘ulu’ or hurricane ravaged place =D
12. hw | May 23rd, 2007 at 9:49 am
Sorry for the double post. Just had the urge to post twice. No, not really. Well gotta love technology sometimes.
13. Ken | May 23rd, 2007 at 10:21 am
so… can I pick you up by sending over Diet Cokes instead?
14. Cat-chan | May 23rd, 2007 at 10:23 am
All the best for your SATs~ =^^= I miss mamak places!
15. sieutheng | May 23rd, 2007 at 11:07 am
i saw lynn nee fell! well, not really. my view was blocked by a pillar and those coconuts. but the expression on bev’s face was priceless. xD
16. DC Drinker | May 23rd, 2007 at 11:08 am
Lots of people like Diet Coke…
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/story?id=3191903&page=1
17. ionStorm | May 23rd, 2007 at 11:19 am
“the time my brother gave my phone number to a DVD peddler in return for free dvds”
OMG! HAHAHAH! Can I have your number too so I can get some free DVD’s? XD
18. sirennights | May 23rd, 2007 at 11:33 am
I love Diet Coke. And it’s the only diet fizzy drink tat taste decent and not something out of longkang. And no, am not trying to pick you up.
19. darkhello | May 23rd, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Omg, the poor cashier girl! :(((
Ever tried the ‘No Pok!!’ thingy on the owners? =P
Eh, all the best for your SATs!! I’m sure you’ll do brilliant!!
20. MichelleSY | May 23rd, 2007 at 4:23 pm
LOL – that seems like a really happening place.
Pick-ups with fries, phone numbers traded for free dvds and talks about the birds and bees….and even wi-fi!
Definitely not your run of the mill tepi longkang mamak =)
21. aw | May 23rd, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Before I get banned from this site (censorship!), it has to be said that:
“Kevlar” is a much cooler name for a guy than “Martian”.
Oh well, you might be one of those that make Martian keep soft toys in his car.
22. Janice | May 23rd, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Hey… I miss seeing you around ADP… and our chocolate exchange moments, hahaha… good luck for your SATs :)
23. Jen | May 23rd, 2007 at 11:02 pm
i discovered roti pisang. life never was quite the same again. mamaks helped build up my immune system too!
yeap, loads to thank them for.
24. ArtificiallyTimtam | May 24th, 2007 at 12:25 am
haha. i haven’t watched wat i bought too :P
25. Lalita | May 24th, 2007 at 1:47 am
Kaya cheese naan? Really ah? What’s that like??
And OMG!!! Poori is heavenly. When I had my first job at 16, my colleagues and I used to go to this Indian restaurant for brekkie before starting work at 8.30. You can imagine lah right, after eating like a piggie, who wants to work! So really had to force ourselves to stay awake. Ah, memories! You enjoy your mamak stall girlie! How’s the stomach now?
26. DLT2 | May 24th, 2007 at 2:26 am
ok THATS it, i’m going for mamak xD
and yeah, i wouldn’t wanna recall where my local mamaks stash their ice =S
27. Just Passing Through | May 24th, 2007 at 11:21 am
“The point of the pinkness of this site is to annoy the crap out of you.”
Don’t you mean that it’s point of your site, period? Consider me annoyed by your existence. However, please don’t quit blogging — where else would I get my entertainment?
28. 3cinr3b | May 24th, 2007 at 11:48 am
omg, kaya cheese naan, sounds so grossly delicious!!!
btw, have u been featured in mass media before? like tv adverts n all? cos u look like this girl in one fair&lovely ad, look out for that =D
29. Captain Jones | May 24th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
KAYA CHEESE NAAN?!?
Where’s the nearest port I can dock at?
30. Jeff from LA | May 24th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Good luck with the SATs. You should come to California, its the one place you could enjoy all the comforts of Malaysian food and Asian culture. I have to put a plug in for LA in particular as well.
31. joey | May 24th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
hey, u should do a post on the ten top mamak places in kl…haha:)
kaya cheese naan huh…..bet u haven tried naan tiga rasa or naan ‘i heart u’ before rite..yup, u got me rite the first time..there is a naan called naan ‘i heart u’..its heart shaped with garlic and onions in it..yummy…
32. Janice | May 25th, 2007 at 1:35 am
Was nice bumping into you always, and always in cineleisure, and always with albert… hahahaa… well you’re looking good as always, I dunno why but it made me reaaaalllyyy happy seeing you, I might not know you really well, but i really like you ( I’m not lesbian k? well, you get what I mean, hahaa….) btw, the movie was awesome wasn’t it? hope you had a great night, take care there, hugz
33. hw | May 25th, 2007 at 4:57 am
Better enjoy your mamak before you head to the States.. you’d be lucky to get roti canai there for $2 USD.
34. Albert Ng | May 25th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Janice: Quit stalking us! *hides pinkpau in my pocket*
35. Janice | May 26th, 2007 at 2:07 am
WAT THE HELLL!!!! *grab pinkpau and hide her in my bag which has chocolates in it*
HA!
36. pinkpau quickly writing a comment | May 26th, 2007 at 3:11 am
albert, i want to go with janice =( she’s nice and she got chocolates…
37. Janice | May 26th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Hahahahaa… wheeee, thanks pinkpau :)
hah! albert, in your face man :p
38. Albert Ng | May 27th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
My aunt just came back from Australia and she brought Tim Tams!
Oh woe is me, I would not be able to enjoy them.
39. Janice | May 28th, 2007 at 12:39 am
Why Albert?
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