Driving in South Jakarta, around Senopati, Cikajang and the neigborhood you will notice the many small establishements with foreign alphabets on their announcent board. These establishment mostly with it's unusual exterior design are like aliens who feel at home crammed amongst beauty salon, restaurant or retail spaces. Did anyone notice that most of this places have no Indonesian nor English -or any language that is understood by locas- or explanation of anykind about they're existense. Ofcourse some would be familiar with the Korean alphabet, but still what are this places? Offices, health service, karaoke bar? It's amazing to have the confident of being in one foreign place and not communicating to it's local, when you actually depends on it. It's a humorous in it's forgiven unpoliteness.
This came to my attention about a year ago when they start mushrooming, and they have probably been there for abot 2 years, some maybe more. It would make more sense if these place are some cult headquarters, some sadomasochist club, or other dodgy places, but to be expected they turn out to be good restaurants, beauty salon, and florist just like other familiar establishment surrounding it. It's again a weird confident to be adapted to one's business approach. I still hold on to the principal that it help your business to let people informed about it. How hard it is to put a few words local words like: Restoran Korea, Bee Bim Bab, Bulkalbi, Bulgogi.
I have since, venture to this places, eat there or just look more closely to satisfy my curiousity. Yet, I still hope to be surprised that one day I looked up at their announcement board and found some Indonesian or English explanation. Maybe they don't need it because enough Korean clients in Jakarta are sustaining their business, or they apply reverse psychological approach towards business. I don't know, I still look forward to the answer.
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