Sorry, Teh Tarik.

Look at the foam on top of that Teh Tarik.
Look at it. What beauty.

2 weeks ago, I stopped by Mamak* for lunch after a haircut, and since I was alone, I was given the worst seat in the house - table facing the entrance with cold drafts slapping my face left and right.

The upside, was perhaps the full view of the kitchen.
The chef’s table, right?

Before we continue, a quick pause:

Teh (tea) Tarik (pull) is the Malaysian national drink known for its stringent bitterness from the black tea and the diabetic honey note from the unknown amount of condensed milk.

Most importantly, it’s the foamy top that is the proof of the pudding, because the tea must be poured from one cup to another from great heights (1-2 metres) to create its foamy top, hence the ‘pulling’.

Ok, resume playing.

As I watched this Asian girl pulling my tea (not a euphemism), it just clicked for me.

I grew up with Teh Tarik thinking the pulling is just a gimmick (check out Mr. Teh Tarik here), the distraction of a magic trick to prevent us from realising, ultimately, it’s just a milk tea.

But, the pulling reduces the temperature!
Ok, leave it on the table for 2 minutes.

But, but, the pulling combines the flavour better!
Ok, try this circular motion with a spoon we call ‘stirring’?

It creates that thick foam on the top.
Ok - hmm, you got me there.

10 years ago, I would’ve said: who cares about the foam?

It’s 2021, and thanks to third-wave coffee, a 5mm difference will change the drink from a cappuccino to a latte, to a flat-white.

People are spending money machine that foams the milk for you. Nespresso calls their canister a ‘barista milk frother’ because that’s what we all aspire to be at home - a milk frother. I don’t know how much companies spent on R&D to create the pressure and steam, I’d say a lot.

The Asian girl in front of me is frothing the milk with gravity and distance. Physics, bitch.

It just reminds me of that old joke about how NASA spent millions on ink that would work in space while the Russians just used lead pencils.

It’s ingenious.

I mean, froth is important, only for a few minutes right? You leave a flat-white, cappuccino, and latte on the table for 10 minutes, what do you get in the end? That’s right, milk coffee.

So I’m sorry Teh Tarik.
You’re not a gimmick.
You’re the cultural heritage.
You’re the mirror of our own wankiness.
The analog in a digital age. Vinyl to MP3.
And I will never complain about spending $4 on you as long as I spend $5 on coffees, ever again.

*

Look at that giant asterisk.

When I was younger, I did not like Mamak. I wrote about why I hated the name, the appropriation of it.

You feel angry that white people are making money and taking advantage of Asian culture?

Let me let you in a secret: Asians take advantage of Asians ALL THE TIME.

So it did not surprise me that Mamak was fined for underpaying staff in 2016, then 2017.

But you know what, I’m getting old, I don’t think I care that much anymore.

Harvard, how could you? Wage theft is a crime, period.
Yea you have a point here, but I think Mamak was the only one that was caught. I have seen and heard of creative accounting in the industry. For example, I pay you the full wage, but you have to stay in my investment property and pay me rent. Look into how holiday visa in Australia: workers work on the farm and pay rent to live in a container during Australian summer for 3 months so you can stay for another 9 months. Don’t get me started on unclaimed super.

Every person being paid below minimum wage is taking a job from a healthy Australian.
Really, you think if an Asian restaurant increases their minimum wage to $20 an hour, white people will flock into Chinatown?

The employers are scum.
Once, I was shooting at a hatted restaurant. A dude came in and asked if they’re hiring and asked for cash in payment. The head chef said ‘nah, sorry we do it by the books here’. The guy left shaking his head. As if ‘doing it by the books’ is a crime. Sometimes, it’s not always the employers with the invisible hand.

Tax supports our society.
Uber, Deliveroo, Doordash. Facebook, Apple, Google in Australia.
Do you think they pay tax?

The minimum wage is important for the standard of life.
I’ve seen head chefs, kitchen hands, and cleaners. Sometimes the head chefs aren’t that happy. They just spend their extra money on getting high. In fact, I’ve seen cleaners with better mental health than some of my consultant friends.

As I get older, I realise things aren’t really black and white.

One country’s minimum wage is another country’s annual salary.

I came in as an international student, so I can’t imagine if COVID were to happen 15 years ago, how would I survive if the government said ‘sorry, you paid $40k for your education, thanks for that, but please gtfo of my country.’ If I didn’t have money to afford a ticket back home, what choice do I have?

I’m not a lawyer, what I learned from this incident is that you can put a number on breaking the law. It’s $300k. So this will just become a case study for more businesses to allow a ‘budget’ just in case they get caught. In the meantime, they’ll use the money to I don’t know YOLO in the share market.

My point is when I’m out looking for lunch, I shouldn’t have to be police, jury, judge, and executioner in one. I don’t want to be a Marvel superhero.

Especially this year, I’m beginning to realise, in Melbourne at least, the dice is not whether restaurants are doing the right thing.

It’s about whether they can exist in the next few months.

I should be able to reserve my right to not care because it’s really not my battle and it’s way above my pay grade.

I just want a piece of Roti Canai.