“Come
for a meal, stay for the vibe,” this thought crossed my mind when I had my own
experience at that corner coffeeshop called Medo.
This
name in Chinese language simply translates into the word for “taste.” Whether
it was spelled, Medo or Mido, it is quite a common name for Chinese
restaurants. 
Entrance into Restoran Medo
With
its façade designed in wooden planks and a wide window that was flipped opened
outwards, the motorcycle parked under the window seemed to imply that this was
someone’s home.
The
window-frame, decorated with Chinese couplets painted on Red paper, along with ‘sheets
of paper’ postered on both sides of the wall that bordered the main entrance, exuded
a nostalgic charm.
Looking
closer, I saw that these sheets of paper were in fact traditional vending
instruments for small toys like plastic guns, yoyos and fix-it-yourself polystyrene
planes, priced at a princely sum of only RM3 a piece.
Traditional vending instruments... spot
the sheet of paper for the tikam-tikam game
Another
sheet of vending instrument was pasted with small squares of tear-off tickets
in a popular game I recognized as tikam-tikam.
This,
I believe, was one of the earliest gambling games that children were tempted to
spend their precious pocket money on, with the hope to tear-off a ticket that won
them a grand prize.
The
sight of this tikam game gave me a flashback to that familiar provision
shop opened next to our grandfather’s house at No. 154 Jalan Ngee Heng, where I
observed children playing this game. 
More of the traditional vending
instruments to sell small toys
No,
we were not allowed to spend money on this game as (we were told!) the whole
idea was to encourage children to spend money while there were probably only a
few “winning” tickets in the entire game.
The
nostalgic charm of this kopitiam continued indoors where the windows were wide open
for natural light to pour in.
Vertical
metal rods were the simple security grille in the windows but to keep the air-conditioning
effective, sheets of transparent acrylic were fitted across the open windows.
Above
the windows were louvred wooden slats and further above, were rows of square
wire mesh that bordered the entire wall. 
Check out the window and
old-fashioned ways for ventilation
Back
in those days where people lived without ceiling fans or air-conditioning, these
methods were applied for better ventilation.
The
exposed wooden planks and beams have their own rustic charm, something that I
remembered from visiting houses in New Villages when our parents were based in
Masai for work.
That
was when I learnt the phrase, chu kia, Teochew and Hokkien dialect for,
small houses. These were humble homes in the villages, many of which did not even
have concrete floors but only bare red earth.
I
liked that the wall décor in Medo included kuda calendars, traditional
calendars that earned its name from the horse illustrations featured on the
dates when horse races were held.
Old-fashioned electrical switch
above a kuda calendar on the wall
I
was pleased to see that even the old-fashioned electrical switch on the wall was
consistent with the rustic charm in their interior decoration.
It
was just ahead of lunchtime so I watched as customers arrived in pairs and groups
or families, to choose their seats.
I
saw that the wooden tables and stools also matched the décor, as were the round
marble-topped tables, wooden cabinets and decorative artifacts.
While
they may have done well to keep the décor simple, I observed that there was
room for more decoration to further enhance the New Village vibe.
Enter here to a modern
toilet facility in Medo
Meanwhile,
my friend and I took our time to look at the photographs in the menu to pick our
choice of items to order. And when I had a question, a helpful staff came over
to answer my query.
Their
menu – I discovered – has non-Halal versions of popular kopitiam favourites
that range from rice and noodles to kaya toast and sandwiches, as well as hot
and cold beverages.
After
we had finished our meal, we lingered as I had to check out their washroom. And
was pleased to see that it was (thankfully!) a modern toilet facility.
Restoran
Medo, a non-Halal kopitiam with indoor and outdoor dining areas, is located at
No. 70 Jalan Permas 10/7, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, 81750 Masai, Johor. Open
daily from 7am to 6pm. Closed on Tuesday.
Note:
Read The Legacy of New Villages documented in My Johor Stories 3:
Proudly Johor, Then and Now, the third and final instalment that completed
the trilogy of My Johor Stories books.
This
book is available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from mphonline. In
Johor Bahru, this book is available from JARO, shortform for Johor Area
Rehabilitation Organization at Jalan Sungai Chat, Johor Bahru, Johor.
