The Life of Warteg Attendant (1) As the Steam Rice Smolders

Adrian Syahalam - translated by Jimmy L Simanungkalit

The night was getting late. It was already 10.30 PM. An attractive young woman was sitting in a food stall, her eyes staring at 15 inch television’s screen. Meanwhile, a man sat on a bench behind her, smoking clove cigarette. “Tun, iku lho (please clean them up),” said that man, pointing at the coffee cups which should be washed immediately.

(id) 4 Juni 2009 - 16:31 WIB
It was one night in May. The night seemed to be the slackest evening for Sofiatun, or Sofia, her nickname. Morning was broken but she just sat down at the corner of the room waiting for customers who apparently didn’t come up. Actually, Sofia should work together with two co-workers since they all were in the same shift but they were not seen around. “One is sleeping and another one is sick,” she softly says.

Let’s take a look at Sofia’s daily activities. This 19 year old young woman works in a warteg (a food stall) called Ridho Ibu (Mother’s blessing). Warteg Ridho Ibu belongs to Haji Noto who hails from Tegal, Central Java. Sofia starts to work at 09.00 PM to 01.00 AM on the next day. 30 minutes before she starts the work, she has to warm the foods before they are ready to be served to customers.

Sofia has been working as a warteg attendant in Tebet, South Jakarta. Actually, she was replacing her friend who was being transferred to another branch of that warteg in Pancoran, not very far from Tebet, still in South Jakarta area. Transfer is a familiar term for shift rolling, as the warteg owner moved their worker to other branches.

Booming of this kind of culinary business, which derives from Central Java, has driven many people to work at warteg. The foods prices in this food stall fit the income of urban population of Jakarta. Its number increases every year along with the increasing of life standard in Jakarta.

Altough warteg business has been running in Jakarta since 1970s and its turnover can be up to tens million rupiah, but some of the warteg workers don’t even taste its blessing. On the average, the warteg workers are not paid well, moreover if we compare it to the living cost in the capital city. The price of basic needs are skyrocketed, thus the workers’ salary is never enough to meet their basic needs.

Sofia earns 400 thousand rupiah per month. Yet, that salary will be paid after she works for three months. That agreement was settled between Sofia and the warteg owner when she was brought to Jakarta from Adiwerna, her hometown in Tegal.

Up until now, she only took a day off by asking permission to visit her brother who lives in Depok, West Java. Her brother is also running the same business in Depok. Sofia and her five co-workers will have the day-off when Lebaran (Eid ul-Fitr) is coming. But it is only a week. Then, she and her co-workers have to go back to their daily activities at work.

Sofia doesn’t have to worry about where she will stay. She can stay and have a rest at the second floor of the building in where she works. That facility is provided by the warteg owner to shove the expense of the workers.

Photos: VHRmedia / Kurniawan Tri Yunanto