Kopitiam’s in SE Asia are phenomenal ‘contact zones’ citing Louise Mary Pratt’s work for creolisation where it is a racial blender in a wok, and food is the LCM for exchange and quotidian celebration.
Many cups of teh or Karak are gulped by migrants across the Indian Ocean to power them through the heat and humidity of the day, often in plastic bags or in cups.
Chai is an index for Indian Ocean edible circulations, something which needs theorist attention from the elite ivory tower.
Teh Tarik in Malaysia
Change Thinker 