The Marketing Plan for the Mamak Places

I had breakfast at a Mamak Place this morning. It was not a particularly notable nor outstanding Mamak Place but it was undeniably a Mamak Place. It serves the Mamak version of Indian, Malay, Western and Chinese food. That was when I realized something about Mamak Places, they serve approximations of these foods.

Think about it. Yes, the Indian food that Mamak Places serve can be good, tasty and downright addictive at time but compare it to the 100% bonafide Indian food specialist restaurants and you will find that they often do not compare so favourably. Their range is lacking, the taste also. The Indian food Mamak Places serve is not inauthentic because they are Indians also but they lack the subtle range of taste that “real” Indian foods have. The same goes for the Chinese, Malay and Western food that they serve. In the case of Indian food, these Mamak places seem to serve what I would call the bottom-line range of the Indian foods: the dishes that pack a punch, not the ones that will tease your taste buds. BUT! Observe the place and you will realize that practically everyone is there; Malays, Chinese, Indians, expatriates, ‘dan-lain-lain’s.

It occurred to me that the food they serve is really not their prime business objective: it is not really what they are selling. So what do these Mamak Places sell?

Firstly, I think the Mamak Places sell consistency. I have had the opportunity to travel to most of Malaysia and stayed in numerous hotels all over the country. Food is often a concern when I am on these trips. Of course there is hotel food but, lets face it, hotel food is often just plain expensive and not worth the money you pay for them. Moreover, I often find myself outside when I am at work. So most of the time, I would look for the Mamak Place and I am always certain that I would be able to get the Mamak Place staples there: roti canai, tosai, chappati, kari (meat or fish), some overcooked vegetable, and the regular drinks.

Secondly, there is the question of taste. With other places, you are often uncertain of the quality of the cooking that you are going to get. The club sandwich differ greatly from one hotel to another, for example. Going to Malay eating places can lead you to magnificent tasting local dishes or something that is alien to your taste-buds. As for the Chinese places, its the same. While I have only been to the halal ones, I noticed that you take a gamble each time you go to a new place. You may come back ranting and raving about how good the food was or you may come back to your hotel room with a packet of Eno that you stopped to buy at the nearest 7-11. With the Mamak Places, you are always certain that the curry will taste more or less the same. The roti will be more or less of the same texture. They may differ slightly from place to place but they would not stray too far from the average. What is important, is that you can rely on them for at least a decent meal.

It seems to me that while the Mamak Places these days employ many foreigners or may be foreigners themselves, the formula that they employ has made them a quintessential Malaysian item.

Just take a look at the Mamak places. Its where all Malaysian seems to gather. Perhaps this is a sign. If we want all Malaysian to share something in common, it may need to be something that is from outside. Something that is not from any of our ethnic groups. Then when we assimilate it and add our own colour to it, the way the Mamak Places make our ethnic dishes their own with their interpretations of it, we can make it the glue that holds us together.

If you haven't figured it out yet, that thing from outside that I am talking about is the English language.

Hazidi Abdul Hamid