JAKARTA: On a dark floor tile of a coffee shop in the Indonesian city of Surakarta, a handwritten message in white reads: “There’s no Americano here. Just Black Ice or Hot Black. #fromtherivertothesea.”
When a photo capturing this sight was uploaded to the shop’s Instagram account earlier this month, Titilaras found itself going viral, sparking the interest and support of coffee lovers and fellow baristas from across the country, many of whom quickly moved to join the impromptu campaign.
“There must have been around 50 coffee shops that sent us direct messages and requested to be part of the campaign,” Titilaras founder Arkha Tri Maryanto told Arab News.
“We welcomed it, of course. We need to speak up, no matter how small the gesture.”
For Maryanto, social media and the community he has built through Titilaras were tools to raise awareness on issues concerning humanity, including Israel’s war on Gaza.
More than 72,200 Palestinians have been killed and 171,000 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks since October 2023. The true death toll is feared to be much higher, as many people have died due to injury and lack of access to healthcare and food — caused by the Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, and the blocking of medical and food aid.
After years of Washington being seen as a primary supporter and enabler of Israel’s war on Gaza, the two allies’ attacks on Iran on Feb. 28 has now sparked a war across the Middle East.
So when Titilaras’ post went up just a day later on March 1, its quiet protest against the US created a swift ripple effect within the Indonesian coffee community.
For Tri Susilo, his decision to drop Americano from his coffee shop, Sadhina, in Semarang, Central Java, came less than a week later.
“I think the US and its ally Israel are the source of all the conflicts that are happening in the Middle East, which have resulted in so much suffering,” he said.
“Our decision to remove Americano from our menu is just a symbolic gesture on our part, as a show of solidarity to all the victims of US and Israeli violence.”
The viral community campaign was the latest example of Indonesia’s staunch support for Palestine throughout the years. The Southeast Asian nation has been among its vocal supporters in the wake of Israel’s deadly onslaught on Gaza, with the Indonesian government and people seeing Palestinian statehood as being mandated by their own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism.
Some Indonesian coffee shops have been early in removing the Americano from their menu, even when the beverage was highly popular among customers.
The history of the Americano can be traced back to American soldiers who struggled to drink straight espresso, with Italians originally using the term as a mockery. But over time, it became synonymous with the American national identity and is a staple offering in restaurants and cafes across the globe.
Though his post went viral recently, Maryanto said the Americano had never been a part of his menu since his coffee shop opened in 2022.
Not having Americano gave him an opportunity to highlight Kopi Tubruk, a traditional Indonesian brewing method where ground coffee is mixed directly with hot water, and allowed to steep without filtering.
“We want to introduce this traditional Indonesian method, which deserves a global platform too, so why not show that to the world?” he said.
Anggi Wahyudi, who runs the ODS Coffee Shop in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, also wanted to challenge the popularity of the Americano and went on to create Palestino on their menu.
It was an ode to Club Deportivo Palestino, a Chilean football club founded in 1920 by Palestinian immigrants that turned into a powerful symbolic connection for the 500,000 Palestinians living there.
“There’s not much else I can do except pray and donate for Palestine, so as a business owner I was moved to change the familiar Americano to Palestino,” Wahyudi said.
With its slow bar concept, Palestino often sparked conversations with customers who wanted to understand the reasoning behind it.
“We’re the only ones who are doing this in Pontianak, but the customer feedback has been positive,” he said. “We hope that others will be moved to make the same gesture, to use Palestino as an alternative beverage name and in support of Palestinians.”
