“Anne, Limau Ais Satu!”
“Cawan ke Mangkuk?”
This opening has become synonymous in our Mamak Culture. It isn’t surprising though, how we got here. Convenience, of course. It was convenient to pack food in a plastic bag that should hold your drinks to wherever your destination is.
One thing got me scratching my head though?
“Why do you need to ikat tepi WHEN YOU’RE IN THE SHOP?”
You’re not going anywhere(?!).
Some may argue that it contains more of the drink than glass of it. But if you look at it, the drinks are made in the same glass and poured into the plastic bag. Maybe because there isn’t much ice in the drink-making, you may be receiving a little bit more than the glass version. However, you are also PAYING MORE.
The price list for takeaway version of drinks has always been higher than the glass version. In this context, some Mamak Restaurants would charge somewhere from 20 – 50 Sen more for the ikat-tepi version. Just because you are paying somewhere from 15% to 25% more for your drink, doesn’t mean you are getting just as much of the beverage.
After looking at this, its clear that Ikat-Tepi-Mangkuk drinkers are disillusioned of the concept. They do not receive more drinks, in fact with the amount of ice mixed is definitely way more than the drink itself. And they’re paying more for it.
The smarter thing to do would be to order the hot and “kaw” version of the drink and order a glass of ice. This eliminates the plastic bag entirely and you’re actually getting a whole glass of beverage, kurang manis at that, right after you add the ice cubes.
On the supply side of it, by serving drinks in plastic bags, operators can eliminate one more task out of the workflow. The washing of the glasses. In a simple equation, lesser work, more revenue. Works out great for them, but not the environment.
Explaining this to someone takes a life and a half out of me. This is too much thinking for just a plastic bag. Too much equation for someone who just wants to enjoy a bag of cold drink. However, this culture is turning out to be doom of us. Every corner is filled with the same transparent bag with a raffia rope tied to the end of it. As a bonus, a plastic straw.
