Have you ever been a 2nd class customer in your country?

By that I mean, foreigners are more preferred than the locals. I am not sure how often these things happen in other countries but it happened to me a couple of times in Bali. I wasn’t the only one and it is echoed by many around. But again, that doesn’t mean everyone here is like that. I have visited some places where they are friendly enough according to my standard and they don’t differentiate between locals and foreigners.

These special treatments are often very subtle but then when it continuously happens, you kinda notice it. Last night, when I hung out with some of my newly met acquaintances, I asked one of the girls from Jakarta if it's weird that you have to spend a certain amount just to use a professional camera at a cafe. If you want to know more about my whole story, read this post Coffee Shop bizarre moment. The girl told me that they put out very ridiculous cafe rules. And today, when I talked to this with a foreigner, this person said, “ what if I was the one who did that, must have turned out differently.” Well, maybe yes maybe no, I just have to put a good faith that the rule works both ways, not just for the locals.

The first moment when I landed in Bali and started going to cafes with plenty of foreigners, I got the look of, “ can you afford eating here?”, wasn’t friendly at all to me, no smile, and when I saw a group of foreigners come by, they smiled and acted friendly. However, after I spent quite a bit for one person + the tip, I was greeted way more warmly. And now that I love going there, they are friendlier and know what I like to order. This happened a couple of times at some different places where their friendly manner was reserved to certain people. But since I usually don’t care if the food is actually good, I’d definitely come back. More often, their treatment of me is different when I start coming back. This is all fairly new to me because back in Yogyakarta, nobody was like that. The Staff are so friendly and way more welcoming. Now, in Bali I kind of expected that thing to happen when I am alone.

Another part that’s gonna be different is when I am with my coworking community group. The staffs are really friendly, way friendlier and even gives us extra sides and even snacks. So, the reserved friendliness wasn’t really felt. But once again, when I am alone that's a different story, especially when I am visiting a place that’s filled with foreigners instead of locals.

However, there was this one place called Rise and Shine, which was really friendly even if I am not a foreigner. I found the place from the grab and decided to just pick the place. I went there, they even got me a complementary water bottle which is rare because in most places you’d have to pay for the water. Their staff were so friendly and I genuinely love the food. Their price is also not a bullshit price because there’s no tax and no service charge as well. Hence why, I didn’t flinch to tip, in fact if I had more cash that time with me, I would have tipped them more.

Another experience I felt was when I was shopping for clothing. This was at a small boutique with local fashion. I wasn’t really greeted and was just left wandering around which is quite strange to me. In Yogyakarta, I would have been greeted and asked what I wanted. This place was just odd and cold. I screened through things and I found some of the things I was looking for. The owner was talking to this person about how difficult it was for her to find models because there’s no foreigners, I mean… why not just use the locals?. One experiment I did was wondering if I could get a great deal by purchasing two things because sometimes you could get that. The staff said it’s already on discounted price and just answered in a plain tone showing me the actual price. And I just handed my card casually. Sometimes, I get annoyed with certain treatment of the people around me, especially when it comes to locals but at the same, there’s some sort of satisfaction that at least, my card isn’t a basic one.

My friendly standard is very basic, I didn’t really ask for conversation but just a welcoming look and also a small greeting. What I care about the most is the food and coffee. Unwelcoming staff is really something I can tolerate but if that gets too much, I definitely can’t tolerate that. It’s really interesting to experience here because to me, Indonesians spend a lot on things. They are borderline consumers and thrive in the consumerism culture. They shop a lot and are willing to spend a lot of money more than the foreigners sometimes. Obviously, they are known to haggle but that’s only at the place where it’s supposed to haggle. My mom is such a haggler but she definitely knows places where not to haggle. Even myself, as long as I can afford it, I’ll buy it and I definitely know places where I can’t afford it and avoid them. It’s not like I have a sugar daddy I can call when I can’t pay for stuff.

Let's Talk About The Picture

The coffee and the food was from a place called Rise and Shine Cafe. It’s located in Canggu Padang Linjong No.71a, Canggu, Kec. Kuta Utara, Bali. They are a small cafe which also serves specialty coffee from Bali to ethiopia. Though the place is small and just next to a busy street, their service and food are to die for. Not to mention, the coffee which really powers you up through the day. The breakfast is mostly western selections of cuisine. They are healthy and filling. One funny situation in this place is when the waiter told me that the bacon is made of pork. I mean, perhaps because I am indonesian she assumed I am a muslim & can’t eat pork. But that’s not the case. I mean…. To me bacon is bacon. Anything less than pork isn’t bacon to me. And I said, yeah, of course gimme 3 slices! So, she served my orders and it was all amazing. I was in a bad mood that day but the food really made my day because not only was it well filled with some proteins and also green leafy, the coffee was also amazing. I considered making a good decision that day. Not to mention, the price is really reasonable. They have the motto, what you see is what you pay. So, they already included the service and tax in the menu. Since their service was good, friendly staff who aren’t discriminating me, I ended up tipping them.

By the way, the yellow one is an anti-inflammatory shot. Indonesians call this jamu but to westernize the whole thing, in Bali it’s called a health shot. I got them because lately, I don’t feel too well and hoping that I could prevent the sickness while traveling. It was slightly cold and fresh, consisting of turmeric with lime. I usually make this at home and now, I can always have them occasionally here but obviously at a higher price haha. But it’s a good prevention for me and I think in Bali, you can really have a healthy lifestyle and life at a nice price.

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