Tea shops can be found on footpaths around towns and cities or sheltering under shady trees out in the countryside. Pic: Hein Latt Aung

MYANMAR’S ubiquitous tea shops are a distinctive feature of daily life in the country and owe their popularity to their social role as venues where people can meet to chat and relax, as well as quench their thirst and enjoy simple snacks.

Meeting places for people of all backgrounds, tea shops can be found anywhere and everywhere; from footpaths in the towns and cities to sheltering under shady trees in the countryside.

They have had and continue to play a particularly important role in Myanmar literature as places where writers and intellectuals meet to discuss, debate and exchange ideas. The Lay Htan Gone (Wuthering Heights) tea shop in downtown Yangon’s 33rd Street is famous as a meeting place for writers.

Initially the domain of men, it is becoming more common to see women savouring tea shop culture.

Public servant Ma Khaing Zun, 20, started going to tea shops when she began working a year ago and they have become part of her daily routine.

“I did not go to tea shops before, but I’ve become used to drinking tea and I like sitting and chatting with my friends,” she said

There’s no shortage of choice in Yangon, with the number of tea shops in the city estimated at more than 1000.

Many tea shops serve the beverage in a variety of ways, but a typical brew is strong, sweet and milky. One change noted by older tea shop owners is that customers are no longer as discerning about the variety of tea leaves used.
However, menus are becoming more extensive, mainly because it helps to attract customers.

“In the past we could only order snacks such as deep-fried twisted dough sticks, Chinese dumplings, and Indian flat breads, but today it is common for tea shops to have a much bigger range of dishes,” said U Tin Ngwe, 56, who goes to tea shops every morning.

Many Yangon tea shops make their own dishes and snacks to ensure they are fresh and tasty and to maximise their profits.

“We make most of the food we serve, such as Indian dishes, curry puffs and snacks, so that it is fresh and appealing to customers,” said U Aung Htike, who owns the Seit Taing Kya tea shop in Ma Po Street, Sanchaung township.
One of the strategies used by tea shops in the suburbs to attract customers is screening satellite television broadcasts of football games and other popular programs.

The busiest times at tea shops depend on their location and popularity. For some it’s the morning, while others are crowded in the evenings. Some are thronged by customers all day.

“We are busy from morning to night because there are schools and offices nearby,” said the owner of the Lucky One tea shop in Seikkanthar Street, Kyauktada township.

Waiters are crucial to the standard of service at tea shops and many of the bigger establishments have more than 30 staff. They add to the hubbub generated by tea shops, shouting orders and dashing about to serve them.

“They have an essential role because they are always busy taking orders, making snacks and performing any other essential task,” said the owner of the Thone Pan Hla tea shop on Bogyoke Aung San Road, Botahtaung township. “It’s important that tea shop owners have an understanding with their waiters,” he said.

Because their overheads are lower, prices at tea shops are more competitive than those at restaurants. This is one of the reasons why tea shops are favoured by university students.

“We cannot afford much for snacks and drinks,” said Maung Kaung Myat Ko Ko, 19, a final year physics major at Dagon University, who likes to relax with friends at a tea shop every evening, something he has been doing since he was a boy.

Some members of the older generation frown on young people frequenting tea shops. They believe that it’s a waste of time to visit tea shops and are also concerned that their children may mix with people of unsavoury character.

But Maung Win Ko Kyaw, 19, a second-year English major student at Yangon Eastern University, says students have a good reason to visit tea shops.

“Young people these days are under a lot of pressure to do well in their studies and it’s important that they can unwind at tea shops by chatting with their friends,” he said.