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Pink 'warteg' seeks to be different
A warteg refers to a traditional food stall, the name is derived from warung Tegal, or Tegal food stall. Tegal is on the northern coast of Java.
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Johari, the 58-year-old owner of a pink-colored 'warteg' (a traditional food stall the name of which derives from 'warung Tegal', a northern coastal town in Central Java), waits for customers at his Warteg Pink on Jl. Palbatu I in Tebet district in South Jakarta on March 8, 2020. (JP/Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman)
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ohari, 58, decided in 2000 to change the color of his warteg (a type of food stall) to pink from green and yellow. His warteg, called Warteg Pink and located on Jl. Palbatu I in Tebet district in South Jakarta, had been green and yellow since it was established in 1993. In the 2000s, some warteg in Jakarta started to use pink.
"The idea is just to be different from the other warteg," Johari, who came from Tegal, Central Java, said on Sunday. "As many people recognize us by this color, our warteg has become a sort of landmark in the neighborhood."
A warteg refers to a traditional food stall, the name is derived from warung Tegal, or Tegal food stall. Tegal is on the northern coast of Java.
A warteg is traditionally furnished with wooden benches and the food is kept on glass shelves to store the food. They are often brightly colored in greens and yellows, but there is no obligation for anyone to paint their food stalls in such colors, said Johari. The colors are not representative of Tegal, which is commonly associated with its seaside location.
Johari's Warteg Pink, which operates from 6:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day, has many things in common with other warteg, except for the paintjob. The warteg offers affordable homemade dishes, including various types of fish, chicken, beef, egg, sautéed vegetables, fried tempeh and tofu. Its best-selling dishes are omelet, orek (stir fried tempeh) and soto -- a broth of meat and vegetables.
Many Jakarta residents frequent warteg, which are commonly found in cities across Java, both for lunch and dinner mainly because of their low prices, a meal usually costing less than Rp 20,000 (US$1.40).
Warseto, a 35-year-old laborer at a small kiosk in Palmerah district in West Jakarta, had his dinner with a colleague on Sunday evening at a warteg called Warteg Selera.
"I always go to a warteg, because it’s fast, cozy for a little hang-out and the food is more affordable than other restaurants," Warseto, who had just started his current job two days previously, said on Sunday. "This feels like home."
During Warseto's 17-year time living in Bandung, West Java, he also went to warteg both for lunch and dinner. His preference for warteg is partly due to his Javanese cultural background.
"The warteg's owner was like a brother to me. It was easy to talk with someone with the same cultural background," said Warseto, who was born and raised in Purwokerto in Banyumas regency, which is south of Tegal regency.
Warteg Selera, which is located on Jl. Palmerah Barat, is another warteg with a different color scheme: yellow and brown. The colors follow those of a coffee company that has sponsored Warteg Selera since 2016, according to Ardhi Ghizali, a 20-year-old who manages the warteg, which his parents started in 1997.
"I did not want to paint it green and yellow, so it stands out among the warteg in the neighborhood," Ardhi, who started helping his parents managing the warteg after he finished high school in 2015, said on Sunday. "But I also want to have my own color and not the sponsor's."
Previously, Warteg Selera was painted red and black, also based on the color of another coffee company sponsoring its operations. Many food and beverage brands partner with warteg to promote their products.
Still, warteg in Jakarta are mostly green and yellow. Warteg Mandiri Jaya, located on Jl. Rawamangun Selatan in Pulo Gadung district in East Jakarta, is painted green and yellow with a few pink additions although there is no obligation to do so, according to Laila, the 23-year-old owner. The warteg, which books a daily revenue of between Rp 700,000 and Rp 800,000, was only established in September.
"I want the colors to be bright, so it looks good, clean and comfortable when people see the warteg," Laila, who came from Brebes regency in Central Java in 2018, said on Sunday. (dfr)
