Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tukang Ngamen (Singing Beggar Man)

If you open a food stall on the street here in Jakarta (or maybe in other cities in Indonesia)...

You don't need a CD player...
You don't need CD's plates...
You don't need a sound system...
You don't need sound speakers....

Why?

Because there are people with their guitars who will sing from one food stall to another food stall and ask for money. So, while you are enjoying your food, you also can enjoy listening to your live music ;)

tukang ngamen 1

A man with his guitar, trying to find a food stall.

What a sweet smile on the lady's face :)

41 comments:

  1. oh selby - what beautiful photos.

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  2. pearl: Thank you, Pearl :)

    email2me: Thank you, Ken :)

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  3. ahh, now i remember the pics! hehehe...;D nice shots, sleby. have fun with your camera! ;D

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  4. nic: Hehehe... it's been quite awhile ;) Thanks, Nic!

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  5. Love the photos, you captured some great moments!

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  6. Edan bo!! perfect pict! hungryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy..

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  7. This is so cool :)

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  8. I'm not a big fan of live music because I feel awkward having someone singing at me while I'm walking, eating, shopping, etc. That said, I might enjoy it as a fine accompaniment to street food in Jakarta.

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  9. Neat! I love these photos!

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  10. question: have you met a really terrible street singer?
    there's a lot of singing beggars in singapore, too, but they all have such great voices, sometimes I wonder if it's real!

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  11. Selba, your black and white photos are really extraordinary. Very nice work!

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  12. We love roadside live singers , so friendly so not so loud !
    Perfect ...also can be free

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  13. nice photos! you really captured the mood! :)
    usually one would equate being serenaded by live bands to posh restaurants..who knew we could also experience that while enjoying street foods? :)

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  14. donna-ffw: Thank you, Donna :)

    burifa: Hi Burifa, thanks for stopping by!

    maryann: It can be quite entertaining ;)

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  15. mica: Hahaha… well, sometimes it can quite annoying when you are having conversation while eating then there’s a singing beggar or your hand become dirty again because you have to hand them money.

    5 star foodie: Thank you :)

    burpandslurp: Yes, some of the street singers have terrible voices and some even can not play their guitar properly :)

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  16. mary: Thank you, Mary :)

    pisang goreng: Most of the time, they’ll sing Indonesian songs but some of them can also sing English songs :)

    heather: Thanks, Heather :)

    BSG: Hahaha… Yup, it also can be free as long as you have a thick face :P

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  17. lingzie: Hi Lingzie, thanks for dropping by my blog and also your compliment of the photos. Yes, isn’t it great live singers are also available on street foods? ;)

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  18. this blog is getting to be such a huge success. congratulations selby!

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  19. Looks like you really captured the essence of the singing man.

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  20. mistipurple: A huge success blog? No lar, it's still a simple and humble blog :)

    catherine aucoin: Thank you, Catherine

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  21. I love learning about the food and people of your country. Great photos.

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  22. It looks wonderful! I can almost hear him playing!

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  23. Gosh it's been ages since I came round here.

    Anywhere in the world, where there is food and people who eat it, there are people who play music for money.

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  24. There aren't as many pengamens here in Bali. It's a good thing that the tourists aren't annoyed, but you're right in that it takes away some of our national culture. Anyway, regards from Bali!

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  25. Great feature, nice to have live music playing in the back ground.

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  26. wao... nice, is like back to 70t. Btw, at our place here we call them tukang nyanyi. As for your information, we don't have that at our place. Our tukang nyanyi is only sitting while not moving.

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  27. I really love seeing all about your culture, it is very fasinating! The pictures are great also:)

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  28. pam: Thanks and I’m honored that you love learning about the food and people of my country :)

    helene: Thank you, Helene :)

    the ungourmet: Thank you for your compliment :)

    livie: Have been missing you in here ;) Isn’t it a great combo of people, food and music? Hehehe…

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  29. wiccan wonder: Hello there, thanks for dropping by my blog. Ah, yes, I’ve encountered pengamens when I had dinner at the Jimbaran beach :)

    laveena: Hahaha… sometimes is not in the back ground but directly in front of you or beside you ;)

    steven goh: Here in Indonesia, tukang nyanyi is penyanyi, which is a term for a singer :)

    sarah: Glad to share and thanks for your compliment, Sarah :)

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  30. for me "no music, no life"- your photos are the answer to it!

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  31. I used to see one over here in one of the hawker centers down at Esplanade beach front. He was good. :)

    http://crizfood.com/

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  32. criz lai: Are there a lot of singing beggar in Malaysia?

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  33. That is a sweet smile. I love that picture. You captured the spirit!

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