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A mamak stall, also referred to as mapley, is a food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Tamil Muslims, who generally own and operate them. Although traditionally operated from roadside stalls, some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or cafe-type establishments. Mamak stalls tend to be popular among Malaysian youths as hang out spots, due to cheap food and beverages being served 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
People of all races, religions and ages frequent mamak stalls to gossip or catch a late-night football game while enjoying a cup of hot teh tarik. No other eatery has quite as much cultural significance in Malaysia, save for the kopi tiam.
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History
The Malaysian Mamak (commonly known as Mamak) are Tamil Muslims of Malaysian nationality, whose forefathers mostly migrated from South India to the Malay Peninsula and various locations in Southeast Asia centuries ago. They are regarded as part of the Malaysian Indian community. Indian Muslims were believed to first arrive at Samudera (now Aceh in Sumatra, Indonesia) back in the early 10th century, and later settled down in Peninsular Malaysia. Although the origins of the word are perfectly benign, it is often used as a derogatory term for the Indian Muslim community in Malaysia.
The word 'Mamak' is from the Tamil term for maternal uncle, or 'maa-ma'. In the context of Singapore and Malaysia, children of all ethnic groups are taught to refer to adult neighbours, shopkeepers and even strangers as 'uncle' and 'auntie', as a form of respect for and deference towards elders. This term is used even though the adult may not be a member of the child's family, clan or even ethnic group/'race'. The origin of the term 'mamak stall' is likely from the practice of children addressing the shopkeeper as 'uncle', or 'mamak', in his native Tamil language, as a form of respect when interacting with him, and patronising his shop.
Mamak stalls and Hindu stalls are alike except the Mamaks, who are Muslims, do not sell pork, whereas the Hindus do not sell beef. There are also similar stalls run by local Malays, which are not to be confused with the Mamak.
Popularity of mamak stalls
Newer mamak stalls have more of a cafe aspect, being well lit and furnished with stainless steel tables. Some are outfitted with large flat screen televisions, or even projectors, so that patrons can catch the latest programs or live football (soccer) matches as they dine.Some mamak stalls also provide free wi-fi service. Interestingly, most modern mamak stalls attempt to retain the charm of open air dining of its predecessors by setting up tables on a patio, the shoplot's walkway or even on the street. Nevertheless, all mamak stalls provide a casual ambiance and affordable food to locals who need a place to unwind or socialise.
Criticisms against mamak eateries
One of these criticisms are long working hours and poor working conditions of mamak stalls' employees. Many mamak restaurants are open 24 hours 7 days a week. They only close for Friday noon time congregational prayers and during the two Eid celebrations. Due to this, hygiene in mamak stalls is usually bad as the 24 hour operating times make cleaning a difficult task. Remunerations at these mamak restaurants are low. Most of the workers are foreign Indian nationals, since local workers would not be attracted to the pay and working conditions at these restaurants.
These mamak restaurants serve food and drinks which are high in fat and sugar. For example, teh tarik is strong tea with large doses of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. There are also several ways to prepare or embellish the basic roti canai, some of which involve large amounts of margarine (roti planta), sugar (roti tissue), or both (roti bom).
The mamak stall roadside dining original concept is still maintained despite the restaurants themselves becoming bigger and more spacious. Dining areas commonly extend onto five foot pathways and busy intersections. This practice is illegal and hazardous to customers as well as road users. There have been cases of patrons being involved in road traffic accidents while dining at the road sides and getting killed in the process[citation needed]. Despite on and off raids by local authorities to get rid of illegal roadside dining, the trend still persists as mamak restaurant operators continue to blatantly flout the law by having their dining areas overflow on to walkways, roads and carparks.
Mamak fare
A standard mamak stall's menu would contain teh tarik and Milo and different varieties of roti canai. Most mamak stalls also serve several varieties of rice, such as nasi lemak and nasi goreng, as well as noodle dishes such as mee goreng (fried noodles). Extended menus would also include satay and at certain restaurants, Western food.
A typical Mamak stall will offer the following choices of food, though this may differ for different stalls:
- Roti Canai
- Roti Telur
- Teh Tarik
- Half-Boiled Eggs
- Goat Milk
- Murtabak
- Thosai
- Chapati
- Nasi Kandar
- Nasi Briyani
- Nasi Lemak
- Maggi Goreng
- Mee Goreng (Fried noodles)
- IndoMie Mi Goreng
- Pasembur
- Mamak Rojak
- Sup Kambing
- Sup Ayam
- Roti Tissue
- Roti Bakar
- Roti Bom
- Murtabak
- Roti Naan & Tandoori Chicken
- Poori
Malay Tomyam stall
Recently, in order to attract more customers, some Mamak restaurants have added an extra stall in their restaurant. The stall, which is operated individually by either an ethnic Malay from the North East Peninsular Malaysia or an ethnic Malay from Southern Thailand, is known as Malay Tom yam stall. Customers therefore have more choice, such as:
- Tom Yam
- Nasi Paprik
- Nasi Goreng Kampung
- Nasi Goreng Cina
- Nasi Goreng USA
- Nasi Masak Merah
- Nasi Pattaya
- Telur Bistik
- Sayur Campur
- Ikan Pedas
- Nasi LaLa
Tom Yam stalls can also be found by the street or at designated areas such as car parks at night. The nocturnal operating hours help to disguise the generally filthy state of some of the stalls. Surprisingly, these stalls tend to be popular. Many tom yam stalls are built illegally, usually on land reserved for public roads. Attempts to remove these illegal stalls have been fairly successful[citation needed] but such attempts can have a political price. One local politician who was a town councilor was put to shame when illegal traders whose stalls were demolished made known to the public that the politician's son himself was running a nearby stall built illegally on public road reserve land. His stall had been spared while others were demolished.[citation needed]
The tomyam stalls first appeared in Peninsular Malaysia circa late 1970s and early 1980s. Unlike local Malay food, the food is basically Thai based and somewhat similar to the cuisine in the state of Kelantan. The Tom Yam dishes have a mix of typically sweet, hot and sour flavours. Basically the choice of dishes available at Tom Yam stalls are similar. As the dishes are cooked immediately and quickly when the customer wants it, Tom Yam stalls are the Malay equivalent of the fastfood outlets albeit the Thai based cuisine.
See also
External links
- Ma2k ComciComca
- The 'Mamak Stall' Culture
- Mamak-ing, A Malaysian word for tourists to get acquainted to
- 'Maslow's Hierarchy of Mamak' on Think.com.my
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