Language and Culture Notes

1. There are several kinds of eateries in Indonesia; the two most common are the warung makan and the rumah makan. Warung makan is used to refer to a simple food stall that serves a few dishes. The term rumah makan identifies a restaurant which is in a building and offers a wider variety of entrees.
   Food stall

   Restaurant
2. Lesehan is a Javanese word meaning to sit on a mat on the floor. It is common for a warung to have the customers sit on mats instead of chairs. Many customers prefer lesehan style because it creates a friendly ambiance, making them feel at home.
   Lesehan
3. The format of bills in Indonesia differs from restaurant to restaurant. Notice that the bills from Soto Betawi and Swike Ny. Teguh contain a printed menu, while the bill from Mbok Berek does not. The wait staff at Soto Betawi and Swike Ny. Teguh fill in how many items are ordered and then this menu becomes the bill.
4. The words jumlah and total both have the meaning of total. In these bills, jumlah is used to identify both the total number of portions ordered and the cost of those items, while total is used for the cost of the items.
5. When writing numbers in Indonesian, one uses a period not a comma to indicate a thousand unit. Thus, 7.000 means seven thousand.