Image 1: … and it seems that only men can enjoy coffee while having a woman on his lap.

Alcoholic beverages are commonly found in dimly lit cafés, but how about coffee? In Kesilir area, a place in Uluan, Jember, Kopi Pangku (red. Literally translated as Lap Coffee, meaning coffee that can be enjoyed with a female waitress sitting on a male patron’s laps), can be easily found, and the places that accommodate this service are characterized by the rather dim lighting and several different colored lights at the front of the shops, perhaps to attract visitors. Why is it called Kopi Pangku and since when does this phenomenon exist? I do not know for sure, but in this house-cum-shop vicinity, they’ve been around since 2004, and so, together with other colleagues who tagged along during my visit to Jember, we spared some time to drop by at one of these unique places. Of course, Kopi Pangku is definitely one of a kind.

Enlivened with dangdut music (red. a genre of Indonesian popular music that is partly derived from Malay, Arabic, and Hindustani music) from the musicians of Banyuwangi, singing “Sikile Loro” and blaring from the speakers in the living room, we were immediately greeted by Eka who invited us, the guests from Jakarta and Kediri, to come inside and pick a spot to sit in. Reaching 160 cm tall, Eka is quite petite and she was one of the waitresses in this place as well as the manager of the adjoining shop owned by her parents who occasionally sing famous local songs in the area. In Uluan, there are several other Kopi Pangku coffee shops that are located fairly close together, and we foud out about this after we got lost pretty much up to the border of Banyuwangi, in search of a Kopi Pangku coffee shops.

The atmosphere is very minimal – neon lights were more than enough to illuminate the modest living room, as this coffee shop really was just a regular house. Eka immediately asked our drink orders, and simultaneously our answers were “coffee”. After ordering coffee to the kitchen, she came back with a snack – roasted peanuts packaged in small plastic bags. Nothing was unusual except for Eka’s perkiness when talking with us. No skimpy outfits to arouse our desire either, or at least in the places we visited.

“Why is it called Kopi Pangku?” Asked one of us to Eka. “Well… this is the place to enjoy coffee, but you could enjoy your coffee while having me sitting on your lap.” She said. “For how long?” We asked again. “For as long as the patrons could apparently, and Eka got up and immediately sat on the lap of my rather robust friend, which was greeted by jokes and catcalls from some of us who must have secretly regretted my decision in visiting this place.

The Kopi Pangku phenomenon doesn’t happen only in Jember; other modified, dimly lit places that provide coffee as their media can be found in other areas, including outside of Java Island. But we did not see any perverse activities happening in this place, although according to a different waitress we talked to, the patrons can pick up the waitresses after work hours, all the while dropping the name of one of her loyal customers who was the vegetable supplier in this town.

We must put an end to our rather “naughty” activity, and paid the 30 thousand rupiah for the six cups of coffee and peanuts, which turned out to be inexpensive, actually. Kopi Pangku is definitely one of its kinds, and it seems that only men can enjoy coffee while having a woman on his lap.

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Sensualitas Kopi Pangku

Minuman beralkohol sudah biasa ditemukan di warung remang, tapi kopi ? Di daerah Kesilir, sebuah kawasan di Uluan kota Jember kopi pangku cukup mudah ditemukan yang bercirikan penerangan agak redup dan sebagian menggunakan lampu warna-warni di bagian depannya, mungkin untuk menarik pengunjung. Mengapa disebut kopi pangku dan kapan fenomena ini ada ? Saya tidak tahu pastinya, tapi di sebuah rumah yang dijadikan lokasi warung ini, mereka sudah ada sejak tahun 2004 dan bersama rekan lainnya saat saya mengadakan perjalanan ke Jemberm berkunjunglah ke tempat ini. Hmmmm, kopi pangku memang lain . . .

Ditingkahi musik dangdut artis dari Banyuwangi,  yang mendendangkan “Sikile Loro” dari speaker di ruang tengah, kami langsung disambut Eka yang langsung mempersilakan kami, para tamu dari Jakarta dan Kediri untuk memilih tempat. Berperawakan kecil dengan tinggi sekitar 160 cm. Eka adalah salah satu pramusaji di tempat ini sekaligus pengelola warung milik orang tuanya yang sesekali melantunkan lagu artis yang masyhur di daerah ini. Di kawasan ini terdapat beberapa lokasi lain yang jaraknya cukup berdekatan setelah kami tersasar cukup jauh hingga ke perbatasan Banyuwangi demi mencari warung kopi pangku.

Suasana warung sangat minim penerangan dengan lampu neon yang hanya sekedarnya menerangi ruang tamu karena warung kopi ini merupakan rumah biasa. Ia langsung menanyakan pesanan minuman kami yang serempak dijawab “kopi”. Setelah memesan kopi ke bagian dapur, Eka membawakan beberapa makanan kecil berupaka kacang tanah yang dibungkus dalam plastik kecil. Tak ada gelagat aneh kecuali kekenesan Eka dalam berbicara dengan kami. Tak ada juga pakaian seronok yang mengundang syahwat, setidaknya di tempat yang kami kunjungi.

“Koq namanya kopi pangku ?” kata salah satu dari kami kepada Eka. “Ya, di sini memang tempat ngopi, tapi si Mas bisa mangku saya” Berapa lama? Sekuatnya sampai pegel … dan Eka langsung mendudukan tubuhnya di pangkuan teman saya yang agak gempal sambil menggoda rekan lainnya yang sedikit menyesal saya bawa ke tempat ini 🙂

Fenomena kopi pangku bukan hanya di kota Jember, sebuah modifikasi warung remang yang menyediakan kopi sebagai medianya juga di berbagai tempat di daerah lainnya termasuk luar Jawa. Tapi kami tidak melihat terjadinya transaksi seks di tempat ini walau menurut salah satu pramusaji lainnya pengunjung bisa menjemputnya seusai jam kerja seraya menyebut bos sayur mayur yang menjadi langganan tetapnya.

Kami harus mengakhiri sedikit “kenakalan” ini dan membayar bon sebesar 30 ribu untuk enam gelas kopi dan kacang tanah, tak mahal rupanya. Kopi pangku memang lain, sepertinya hanya buat pria yang hanya bisa menikmati kopi bila memangku perempuan . . .

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