This safe in a Segamat kopitiam is older than any of us, which makes sense because kopitiams have been open in Malaysia since the 1800s, and they are considered a vital element of the country’s culture and history. It all began with the migration of Hainanese people from southern China’s Hainan island.
During that time, members of other major dialect groups such as the Hokkien, Cantonese, and Teochew had already settled and dominated the more lucrative industries in Malaya such as trade, mining and agriculture.
As a result, the Hainanese were compelled to find alternative means of income, and the majority of them decided to participate in the hospitality industry inside British military bases and ship galleys.
However, with the end of World War II, there was an economic collapse, and employment in hotels and European homes were limited. Hainanese people who worked as chefs for the British embraced this chance and bought up premises to open tiny restaurants and kopitiams across the country.
From that, the term ‘kopitiam’ is a combination of the words ‘kopi’ (coffee) and ‘tiam’ (shop) in Bahasa Melayu and Hokkien.
The classic kopitiam was characterised by its white marble tables and green floral ceramics, which were already a part of its identity. Food such as toast with butter and coconut jam, soft-boiled eggs, pastries, and roasted coffee sweetened with condensed milk is still in high demand today.
By the 1960s, kopitiams, with their combination of low cost cuisine and community gatherings, had spread to practically every corner of Malaysia and most of them are still in operation today with businesses being handed down from father to son.
Shipping & Merchandiser & Account supporting Department
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