just like people in indonesia (or other asian countries, for that matter), drinking tea is one of the most popular activities for singaporeans. they have their ways of naming it too. however, ever wonder what to order when you go to one of the kopitiam stalls and it has all these options of tea that you couldn't understand? you ordered tea, thinking it's just a plain tea, no sugar or milk. and there it comes, with sugar and milk.
i had trouble understanding how they call different way of tea servings in singapore, when i first came here. it's interesting, alright. given the different name it has.
so i'll share you a list. so next time you visit singapore, you order the right kind of drink! oh and yes, pronounce it as indonesians do .. teh. not
tea.
teh (te-eh)
hot tea with evaporated milk and sugar.
teh-o (te-eh oh)
hot tea with sugar. no milk.
teh-c (te-eh si)
hot tea with evaporated milk.
teh kosong (te-eh koh-song)
hot tea with milk. no sugar.
teh-o kosong (te-eh oh koh-song)
hot tea. no sugar. no milk.
teh tarikhot tea with milk and sugar, with froth from 'pulling' the tea with two cups.
teh halia (te-eh ha-lee-ah)
hot tea with milk and sugar, with ginger water.
halia = ginger, in malay.
and if you want to have them iced, just use the word
peng at the end. so, if you want to have sweetened iced tea with milk.. simply order a
teh peng! or iced sweet tea, just say ..
teh-o peng or as indonesians might refer to it as
es teh manis! :)
well, of course, you can use the word
iced when placing an order. but just in case you want to be as local as possible, you can try using the local way to order them.
if you don't like how much sugar they put in your tea, order it with the word
siew tai (syu-tay) which means
less sugar. so simply order
teh-o siew tai for your hot tea sweetened with less sugar. easy, right?
oh this also goes with your coffee order. singaporeans also use the word
kopi for coffee. just like
teh, ordering a glass of
kopi, means you're ordering a glass of hot coffee with milk and sugar. so, make sure you understand the so-called
formula before you place an order. you may not get right servings for your desired drink... haha!
so, teh tarik anyone? :D
Labels: 2009, singapore
