How to order drinks in Kuching

One of the joy and wonder of traveling, is to try out local flavored food and drinks. Like any adventure in foreign land, Kuching is no different, with local hawker stalls mainly without recognizable menu. The task is even more daunting with lack of local language skills. So here is a quick travel guide to help you while you are in Kuching:

Kopi - Local coffee with condensed milk
Kopi O - Black coffee with sugar. The "O" meant no milk
Kopi O Kosong - Black coffee without sugar.
Kopi C - Coffee with "C"ream/ideal milk and sugar
Kopi C Kosong - Coffee with cream without sugar (Kosong=empty, which in this context meant, no sugar)

Teh - tea with condensed milk (refer to Kopi for other options)
Milo - Chocolate drinks, pronounced as "mee low" (refer to Kopi for other options)
Sky juice - Don't laugh, its boiled water. Available in hot or cold (With ice)

If ice cold drink is preferred, remember to add 'peng' to the end of your order. Example, Kopi O peng, means iced black coffee with sugar. Or you can try the following:

Sng Boi peng - plum juice, awesome for hot days
Sng Kam peng - local fresh lime, to die for!
Ice lemon tea - Ice lemon tea!
She she chau or air ular (=snake water) - No, its not what you are thinking. Its a herb drink. Want it cold? remember to PENG it at the end.

Before anyone ask the obvious, yes "other" carbonated soft drinks are available. Why be conservative? Do be adventurous and try out the local drinks...

Good luck and happy venturing. :-)