ARKIPEL Hospitality Stories: Hong Kong/Jakarta, Kita Punya Selera yang Sama
Jika kalian dipertemukan oleh tamu-tamu dari berbagai negara, tempat seperti apa yang akan kalian ajak mereka? Bagaimana, dalam waktu singkat, kalian bisa mengenalkan Jakarta pada sekelompok orang yang belum familiar dengan kota metropolitan ini?
Ketika sekelompok orang dari Hong Kong meminta rekomendasi tempat (belanja/makan) ke aku, yang muncul di kepalaku adalah: kira-kira mereka ini suka tempat seperti apa?
Bagi Jess Lau, Yuen Nga-chi, dan Chung Wing Shan, aku melihat mereka bakal suka tempat-tempat yang unik dan lumayan terkenal sama orang lokal.
Inilah perjalanan kami: makan, ngopi, dan belanja di Melawai dan sekitarnya.
(Catatan Penulis: Percakapan bersama ketiga tamu Videotage dilakukan dalam Bahasa Inggris. Demi pembaca, percakapan telah diterjemahkan menjadi Bahasa Indonesia)
Sabtu (31/08) siang di Blok M, ada sebuah cafe nusantara bernama Uma Oma. Menurut Panji Anggira, “mahal untuk makanan Indonesia.” Tapi menurut aku, “harga segini untuk makanan seenak ini cocok.” Terlepas dari pendapat warga Jaksel yang lidah dan dompetnya punya preferensi lain, bagaimana pendapat para tamu ini? Para tamu menunjukkan kepuasannya dengan pesanan mereka.
Di meja luar, antara suapan nasi atau tegukan minuman, kami berbicara.
Percakapan kita mencakup beberapa topik seperti:
“Gara-gara kamu mengenalkan gado-gado, kami jadi suka gado-gado!” Uma Oma tidak ada menu Gado-gado, tapi Yuen dan Shan pesan Nasi Lengko. Mungkin mereka mengatakan itu karena kedua makanan menggunakan bumbu kacang. Aku berbisik ke Panji, dia yang menemani mereka melihat menu di saat aku masih mencari parkir. “Kamu bantu mereka kan memilih, menu?” Pintaku. “Iya,” jawab Panji.
“Restoran ini lumayan baru, di sini terkenal karena restoran Jepang. Blok M ini dulu sering dijadikan tempat kumpulnya ekspat Jepang, makanya di sini banyak restoran Jepang. Dulunya ini juga terkenal sebagai distrik lampu merah,” aku bercerita, “tapi karena regulasi sudah nggak lagi,” lanjutku. “Masih sih, tapi diem-diem,” Panji mengoreksi.
“Ini kayaknya pertama kali aku melihat orang Cina sebanyak ini selama di sini,” kata salah satu tamu kami, “di daerah tempat penginapan kami hampir tidak ada,” lanjutnya. Mereka menginap di Depok.
“Untuk orang keturunan Cina kami sebut Tionghoa, dulunya tidak begitu tapi secara resmi diganti. Kata Tionghoa itu sendiri dari mana, kalian tahu?” Tanyaku. “Sepertinya itu dari kata Zhōnghuá, yaitu sebutan untuk orang keturunan Cina sendiri. Seperti orang Amerika-Cina disebut Zhōnghuá karena ada keturunannya.” Jawab Jess.
“Kenapa kalian tidak sebut aja ‘orang Cina’?” Tanya Shan, “Kami sebagai orang Hong Kong tidak akan tersinggung jika dikatain Cina,” Setuju Jess. “Karena kami rasa lebih sopan begitu, mengingat sejarah politik di sini,” jelas Panji.
Percakapan kami tidak jauh dari keinginan kami untuk saling memahami budaya, konteks, dan situasi antara kota tempat kami besar. Itulah mayoritas topik yang kami bahas selama keliling Blok M Square.
“Mengapa tidak ada lantai 4?” Tanya Shan. “Banyak investor Indonesia berasal dari Cina, dan mereka membawa kepercayaan mereka ke sini.” Aku yakin mereka sudah familiar dengan kepercayaan tersebut. Namun tidak menyangka melihat kepercayaan itu diterapkan juga di Jakarta.
Merujuk pada toko-toko yang sudah tutup, Jess yang berjalan di sampingku bertanya, “apakah dulu rame?” “Iya, dulu rame sekali, sebelum semua belanja lewat e-commerce,” jawabku. “Sama, ketika aku kecil aku belanja di pasar, sekarang semua orang belanja online,” sambil membuat gestur ketikan jari.
Sekali-kali kami berhenti untuk melihat sesuatu. Ada pula ketika mereka menemukan tempat memanah. Rasa penasaran muncul yang menimbulkan Yuen untuk mencobanya. “Dia suka begini, kalo ada yang menarik pasti ingin dicoba,” Jess berkomentar.
Setelah sekian lama berjalan, membeli aksesoris, dan penanda buku wayang dari kulit sapi, kami kurang lebih sudah mendapatkan nuansa Blok M, waktunya pindah ke lokasi berikutnya: Pasar Santa.
Selama menyetir ke Pasar Santa, otakku berpikir atas situasi parkir. Mengingat tempat parkir di situ terbatas, dan jika tidak mendapatkan tempat musti parkir lumayan jauh. Namun kekhawatiranku hilang ketika, pas di depan pintu masuk, ada tempat kosong. Kemudahan mendapatkan parkir di lokasi tujuan adalah fenomena yang Ayahku sebut sebagai “rezeki anak Soleh”.
Turun dari mobil, kami menuju Dunia Kopi Pasar Santa. Kedai kopi yang menjual berbagai biji kopi dari berbagai daerah di Indonesia. Sebuah surga bagi pecinta kopi. “Di sana, aku juga minum kopi Sumatera,” kata Jess.
Tidak kelar takjub mereka menelusuri pilihan kopi satu persatu. “Boleh tanyakan ini?” Jess tanya ke Panji. Di HP Panji muncul halaman untuk Sigarar Utang. “Kamu bisa tanya ke mereka, apa rekomendasi mereka yang fruity?” Shan tanya padaku. Aku kembali ke dia dengan nama Aceh Gayo Wine Light.
Yang paling mengejutkan bagi mereka adalah, bijinya bisa dicoba secara gratis. Kami ke kedai sebelah untuk proseskan biji kopi pilihan mereka. “Turis sering ke sini?” tanya Shan, “Kebanyakan yang ke sini turis lokal, kalo turis luar jarang aku lihat,” aku menjawab. “Kita enggak boleh kasih tahu siapapun!” Shan ungkap dengan semangat.
Puas dengan apa yang mereka coba, aku antarkan mereka ke kasir di mana mereka bisa membeli kopi masing-masing. Jess membeli dalam bentuk biji, Shan membeli dalam bentuk gilingan halus, sedangkan Yuen tidak membeli kopi.
Setelah itu, kami lanjut ke lantai atas, di mana aku dan Panji antarkan mereka ke sebuah kedai buku kuning, POST Santa. Jess melihat buku puisi, Yuen mencari buku sejarah, dan oh! Panji, ada Clarice Lispector!
Setiap ke POST, Panji selalu menanyakan ketersedian Clarice Lispector untuk koleksinya, dan seringkali stok kosong. Beruntung sekali kami ke POST waktu itu, karena Panji bisa menambahkan koleksinya. “Kenapa kamu ajak aku ke sini, jadinya aku ikut beli kan…” kata Panji setelah membayar. “Aku boleh titip di tas kamu nggak… eh jangan, nanti lecek, aku pegang aja,” kata Panji, menolak untuk memasukan buku di tasnya juga.
“Panji itu semacam purist, bukunya nggak boleh rusak. Dia hanya baca di rumah, dan menjaga bukunya agar tidak lecek.” Aku jelaskan pada tamu Hong Kong kami, “beda sama aku, aku taruh aja buku di tas dan baca di mana saja.” “Aku seperti kamu!” Ujar Shan.
Beli kopi sudah, beli buku sudah, tapi mereka belum sepenuhnya merasakan Pasar Santa jika belum jalan-jalan, dan itulah yang kami lakukan. Melihat baju, kaset, aksesoris, jalan-jalan tanpa tujuan, hanya merasakan dempetnya antar toko dan keintiman yang timbul antara pengunjung dan penjaga.
Selesai dari Pasar Santa sudah jam 5 sore lebih, waktu makan malam, dan aku tahu tempat sempurna untuk membawa mereka. Salah satu tempat favorit aku, dekat, bisa dijangkau dengan berjalan kaki. Tempat yang bisa membuat orang berpikir: “Kamu kenapa membawa mereka ke situ, di Hong Kong pasti banyak!” Eitss, justru itu, jika orang Hong Kong aja suka berarti ini tempat memang enak.
Bakmi Boy Cikajang.
Aku jelaskan, Bakmi Boy ini terkenal banget dan sudah lama berdiri, dari sebelum aku lahir malah. Aku baru tahu Bakmi Boy berstatus legendaris dan pertama berdiri di tahun 1963 ketika riset untuk artikel ini. Namun aku sudah tahu itu tempat terkenal dan sudah lama ada berdasarkan sesuatu yang pernah dikatakan orang tuaku: “Bakmi Boy terkenal banget, dulu Ayah yang kenalin ini ke Ibu sebelum kamu lahir.” Tapi aku tidak jelaskan itu ke mereka.
Sampai di Bakmi Boy Cikajang, beberapa komentar mereka ketika masuk dan melihat menu termasuk: “Tempatnya nyaman, seperti rumah.” “Aku suka sekali, Mi.” “Mereka ada bihun juga.”
Kemudian komentar mereka ketika makan termasuk: “Ini cocok banget di lidahku.” “Isi pangsitnya beda dengan di sana, di sini isinya daging.” “Semua tempat rekomendasi Niskala enak semua!” Sukses! Habis ini aku bikin direktori jalan-jalan di Jakarta ah.
Dari makan siang sampai makan malam, waktunya kita balik. Kembali lagi kami ke Pasar Santa, di mana mobil telor asin menunggu kami. Perjalanan hampir selesai, tinggal satu tempat lagi: Forum Lenteng, karena ada pemutaran ARKIPEL Garden of Earthly Delights – 11th Jakarta International Documentary and Experimental Film Festival di jam 19.00 nanti.
Di bawah Tugu Pancoran, sambil menunggu lampu merah Pasar Minggu, aku bertanya ke mereka sesuatu yang bisa menyimpulkan secara sempurna kehidupan di Jakarta. “Lebih macet di mana? Di Hong Kong atau Jakarta?”
“JAKARTA!”
ARKIPEL Hospitality Stories: Hong Kong/Jakarta, We Have the Same Taste
If you had guests from different countries, what kind of places would you take them to? Jakarta is a big city, even each district has its own unique characteristics. How, within a short time, would you introduce Jakarta to someone who is not familiar with this metropolitan city?
When a group of people from Hong Kong asked me for recommendations for places to shop and eat, my first thought was: based on what I observe about them, what kind of places would they like?
When I met Jess Lau, Yuen Nga-chi, and Chung Wing Shan, I considered places that are eccentric and favored by the locals.
This is a story of my experience eating, drinking coffee, and shopping in Melawai and its surrounding area with our guest from Videotage.
Saturday (31/08) afternoon in Blok M, there is a restaurant that sells Indonesian cuisine called Uma Oma. According to Panji Anggira, “it’s overpriced for Indonesian food.” In my opinion, “the price is justified for food this good.” Regardless of the opinions of two South Jakartans whose taste buds and wallets have other preferences, what do the guests think? The guests showed their satisfaction with their orders.
Eating at the outdoor table, between bites of food or sips of drink, we talked.
Our conversation went something like this:
“Because of you we love gado-gado!” Uma Oma didn’t have a Gado-gado on their menu, Yuen and Shan ordered Nasi Lengko. I whispered to Panji, who accompanied them while I was still looking for parking, “You explained the menu to them, right?” “Yes.” I assumed they said that because both dishes used peanut sauce.
“This restaurant is actually quite new. This area is actually famous for its Japanese restaurants. Blok M used to be a hot gathering spot for Japanese expats, that’s why there are a lot of Japanese restaurants here. “It used to be famous as a red light district too,” I explained, “but because of regulations, they stopped operations,” I continued. “It still is, but it’s low-key,” corrected Panji.
“This is the first time I’ve seen many Chinese people in one spot,” explained one of our guests, “there are almost none in the area we’re staying at,” they continued. Made sense considering they were staying at Depok.
“We call Chinese people Tionghoa here. It wasn’t like that before but it’s been officially changed. I’m curious, do you know where the word Tionghoa comes from?” I asked them. “I think it comes from the word Zhōnghuá, which is what we call people of Chinese descent. Like Chinese-Americans are called Zhōnghuá because they are descendants of Chinese,” Jess answered.
“Why don’t you just say ‘Chinese’?” asked Shan. “We, as Hong Kongers, won’t be offended if we’re called Chinese,” Jess agreed. “Because it’s more polite that way, considering the political history here,” Panji explained.
Our conversation was mostly based on our desire to understand the cultural context and situation between the cities we grew up in. And we continued those conversations while walking around Blok M Square.
“Why isn’t there a 4th floor?” Shan asked. “Many Indonesian investors come from China, and they brought their superstition as well,” Panji explained. I’m sure they’re familiar with that belief, but I think they were surprised to learn Jakarta also implemented that belief as well.
Walking amongst closed shops, Jess, who was beside me asked, “Was it busier before?” “Yes, it used to be very busy, before everyone shops via e-commerce,” I answered. “Same in Hong Kong, when I was little I shopped at the market, now everyone shops online,” while making a finger typing gesture.
Every now and then we stopped by at a stall. There was also a time when we found an indoor archery range. Curious Yuen wanted to try it. “She likes to do this, if there is something interesting she will want to try it,” Jess commented.
After walking for a long time, buying accessories, and wayang bookmarks out of cowhide, I think they got the gist of Blok M. It was time to move to the next location: Pasar Santa.
While driving to Pasar Santa, I was thinking about the parking situation. Parking spaces there are limited, and if I don’t get a space I would have to park quite far. But my worries disappeared when, right in front of the entrance, there was an empty spot. The ease of getting parking at a location is a phenomenon that my father calls: “the fortune of a pious child”.
Getting out of the car, we headed to Dunia Kopi Pasar Santa. A coffee stall that sells various coffee beans from various regions in Indonesia. A heaven for coffee lovers. “Back home, I also drank Sumatran coffee,” explained Jess.
Their expression filled with amazement as they explored the coffee choices one by one. “Can you ask if they have this?” Jess asked Panji. Panji’s phone screen shows a page for Sigarar Utang. “Can you ask them what they recommend with a fruity flavor?” Shan asked me. I returned to her with Aceh Gayo Wine Light.
The most shocking thing for them was that they could try the beans for free. We went to the stall next door to process their chosen coffee beans. “Is this famous amongst tourists?” Shan asked, “Most of the ones who come here are local tourists, I rarely see foreign tourists,” I answered. “We can’t tell anyone!” Shan said excitedly.
Satisfied with what they tried, I took them to the cashier where they could order their coffee beans. Jess bought it as beans, Shan bought it finely ground, while Yuen didn’t buy any coffee.
After buying coffee, we went upstairs where Panji and I took them to a small yellow book shop, POST Santa. Jess looked at poetry books, Yuen looked for history books, and oh! Panji! They have Clarice Lispector!
Every time we went to POST, Panji would always ask if they had Clarice Lispector for his collection, and every time they were out of stock. We were very lucky that we went to POST that day, so Panji could add to his collection. “Why did you invite me along, now I bought a book…” said Panji after paying. “Can I leave it in your bag… eh no, it will get ruined, I’ll just hold it,” said Panji, refusing to put the book in his bag also.
“Panji is a kind of purist, he won’t allow his books to be damaged. He only reads at home, and takes care of his books so they don’t get dirty.” I explained to our Hong Kong guests, “Unlike me, I just put them in my bag and read them anywhere.” “I’m like you!” exclaimed Shan.
Done with coffee, done with books, but they haven’t fully experienced Pasar Santa if they haven’t walked around. Looking at clothes, cassettes, accessories, walking around aimlessly, experiencing the lack of space between the shops and the intimacy it creates between visitors and shopkeepers.
After we’re done, it was 5 in the afternoon, time for dinner. And I knew the perfect place to take them. One of my favorite places, it’s close by and accessible by foot. A place where some would question my decision, “Why did you bring them there, there must be lots of them in Hong Kong!” But that’s exactly why I brought them there. If Hong Kongers like it, then this place is the real deal.
Bakmi Boy Cikajang.
I explained to them that Bakmi Boy is very famous and has been around for a very long time, since before I was born. Actually, I only found out that Bakmi Boy has legendary status and was first established in 1963 when doing research for this article. So how did I already know it was famous and has been around for long? Because of something my dad once said about it: “Bakmi Boy is very famous, I introduced it to your mom before you were born.” But I didn’t explain that to them.
Arriving at Bakmi Boy Cikajang, some of their comments when they entered and saw the menu were: “The place is comfortable, very homey.” “I love noodles!” “They also have rice noodles.”
Their comments while eating were: “This really suits my tongue.” “The wonton filling is different here” “All the places recommended by Niskala are really good!” Success! After this I should try making a directory of places to visit in Jakarta.
From lunch until dinner, we spent so many hours together, time for us to go. We returned to Pasar Santa, where my salted egg car was waiting for us. There was one more stop we needed to go before I could go home: Forum Lenteng. There was a screening of ARKIPEL Garden of Earthly Delights – 11th Jakarta International Documentary and Experimental Film Festival later at 7 PM.
Beneath the Pancoran Monument, waiting for the traffic light at Pasar Minggu, I asked them something that perfectly encapsulates what it’s like staying in Jakarta. “Which traffic is worse? Hong Kong or Jakarta?”
“JAKARTA!”
