Satay sellers hardly have time to whine about life<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Imanuddin<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dear Mom, I'm settling down in Jakarta. During
\nthe day I sit and swivel my feet and at night I sit and enjoy the
\nfan. I couldn't ask for more ...<\/p>\n
This is a well-known joke among people from West Sumatra about
\na young man who migrated to Jakarta to make ends meet. He sounds
\nlike he's having the time of his life. But the young man was
\ndescribing his profession as a tailor (swivel the feet to get the
\nsewing machine going) and a sate seller (fanning the charcoal).<\/p>\n
But 24-year old Syafrinal from Pasaman, West Sumatra, will
\ntell you immediately that you cannot hold both jobs at the same
\ntime. Selling satay is a chore that takes a lot of your time,
\nalmost the entire day.<\/p>\n
There are two different kinds of satay -- meat grilled on a
\nthin skewer -- that are peddled in Jakarta's streets. One is
\nsatay Padang, which uses tongue or liver as the meat and is eaten
\nwith a thick yellow turmeric-based sauce. This is the kind
\nSyafrinal makes.<\/p>\n
The other is satay Madura, which uses chicken meat and is
\neaten with brown peanut sauce.<\/p>\n
In most parts of Jakarta you can still see these satays being
\npeddled in the streets in the evening. The satay Madura you can
\nhardly miss noticing because of the loud, often shrieking, whine
\nthe seller makes. \"eeee ......\" which is short for satay.<\/p>\n
Satay sellers, either the Padang or the Madura kind, however
\nhardly have time to whine about life.<\/p>\n
Hosen, who hails from Sampang in Madura and peddles his satay
\nin the Utan Kayu area in eastern Jakarta, will also tell you that
\na satay seller hardly has time to whine other than when they
\nwork.<\/p>\n
Luck<\/p>\n
Both Syafrinal and Hosen are two typical satay sellers who are
\ntrying to make it in this jungle of a city. Both men decided to
\nleave their home villages and try their luck in Indonesia's
\nlargest metropolitan, Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Hosen is 16 years old and the youngest of five children. Both
\nhis parents died when he was still at junior high school. Left an
\norphan, he was forced to quit school for lack of money. He began
\nhelping his older brothers with the family rice field but found
\nthe job too tedious. Besides, the money was simply enough to get
\nby but nothing else.<\/p>\n
On the advice of his friends in the village, he decided to
\ncome to Jakarta seven months ago. \"I didn't think that I needed
\nto remain a farmer. I let my brothers take care of the paddy.\"<\/p>\n
He came armed only with courage. The primary school diploma
\nhardly counts in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He found himself a three-bedroom house in Utan Kayu which is
\nshared by people from Madura. All the other tenants have the same
\nprofession -- selling satay. Naturally Hosen got the chance to
\nlearn the ropes in selling satay Madura from them.<\/p>\n
One month later he was working on his own.<\/p>\n
Syafrinal, 24 years old, in contrast is the more responsible
\ntype. He is the oldest of five children.<\/p>\n
He quit school after high school because he knew that his
\nfather's income as a low ranking civil servant in Pasaman could
\nnot support the education of all five children.<\/p>\n
Someone had to give in and, being the eldest son, he decided
\nto help with the family farm. After five years on the farm he
\ndecided that farming did not suit him.<\/p>\n
\"I've got to stand on my own two feet,\" Syafrinal said.<\/p>\n
At the suggestion of his relatives he came to Jakarta, almost
\nat the same time as Hosen moved here.<\/p>\n
He rented a house in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, with two
\nrelatives. Together they pay Rp 100,000 ($45) a month in rent.<\/p>\n
Syafrinal already knew how to prepare satay Padang before he
\ncame. Yet he needed to know Jakarta first, so in the first month
\nhe accompanied a relative peddling satay in a housing complex in
\nEast Jakarta before deciding to branch out on his own.<\/p>\n
He learned quickly.<\/p>\n
Syafrinal found himself a convenient and strategic spot near a
\nmovie theater in Rawamangun. He settled there and did not have to
\nwalk the streets like others.<\/p>\n
Both men borrowed from friends and relatives to raise the
\nnecessary capital. Syafrinal's start up capital was Rp 200,000
\nwhile Hosen began with Rp 150,000.<\/p>\n
While it did not take long for either Hosen or Syafrinal to
\nsettle in, their work is very demanding day in and day out. There
\nis hardly any time to relax, they say.<\/p>\n
Hosen says he does his rounds between seven and 11.30 at
\nnight. In the morning he wakes up at around 6 o'clock to buy
\nsupplies for the day and cut and marinate the meat. He also has
\nto cook the lontong (rice cake). This he completes by 11 a.m.
\nThen he takes a nap until 3 p.m. before getting ready for another
\nnight.<\/p>\n
It is almost the same routine for Syafrinal. Making the
\npreparations in the morning, taking a short rest in the afternoon
\nand selling in the evening. Syafrinal however makes a point of
\ntaking one day off every 15 days.<\/p>\n
Hosen said on average he makes a net profit of around Rp
\n12,000 ($5.50) a day from a turnover of around Rp 25,000.<\/p>\n
Syafrinal says his turnover averages Rp 90,000 a day and,
\nafter deducting costs, his profit comes to Rp 50,000 ($24). With
\nthat sum he can afford to send Rp 150,000 each month to his
\nparents back home and help support the schooling of his younger
\nbrothers and sisters. \"I notice that they have more opportunity
\nto go to university.\"<\/p>\n
Hosen says he does not feel any need to send money home. \"All
\nof my brothers have their own income, I don't need to support
\nthem.\"<\/p>\n
Both men say they have not thought of any other profession.<\/p>\n
\"Selling satay is the only thing I can do,\" Hosen said.<\/p>\n
And they've been so busy trying to settle in that they have
\nhardly had time to think about girlfriends.<\/p>\n
\"No girls would like a satay seller for a boyfriend,\" Hosen
\nsaid pathetically.<\/p>\n
\"I am already occupied with my business,\" Syafrinal said when
\nthe question about a girlfriend was posed to him.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/satay-sellers-hardly-have-time-to-whine-about-life-1447893297",
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