Pulling Tea

(1/200, F3.5, ISO200, 17mm)

When I first arrived in Malaysia I was surprised to see so many people on the streets drinking out of a bag with a straw.
Most of the times the fluid inside will be teh tarik (literally meaning ´pulled tea´), which is the national drink in Malaysia.
It´s made of tea and condensed milk and the process of pouring or ´pulling´ is what makes it cool down to drinking temperature and mix the two ingredients perfectly (see an artsy ´pull´ in this video).

Nowadays I´m so used to the sight that I wasn´t surprised to find this half finished bag in an abandoned Chinese shophouse in the former mining village of Kampung Kepayang, Malaysia.

Tags: bag, decay, Photo, pulled, Street, tarik, tea, teh, Texture, Urbex, wall

67 thoughts on “Pulling Tea”

Soizic on October 11, 2014 at 12:56 said:

Bonjour,
Très belle composition!

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Ana D on August 20, 2014 at 02:27 said:

I grew up with pulled tea and I was born in the Caribbean! My grandmother used to love the stuff (my dad still drinks it)- I guess our traditions can all be traced back to the Motherland…I absolutely hate pulled tea though, I’ve never liked the taste of condensed milk. Here they also make a weird concoction of Coca Cola and condensed milk, if anything I find it even worse- it’s like sparkling syrup.

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- Rondje on August 26, 2014 at 17:11 said:
  
  Hola Ana,
  
  Totally agree with not liking the condensed milk and its all too sweet to my taste; that cola/condensed milk mix sounds even worse 😉
  Like the way they made the ´pulling´ into an art though!
  
  Greetings from KL, Ron.
  
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Graham Stephen on August 4, 2014 at 03:38 said:

wonderful textures

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- Rondje on August 26, 2014 at 17:12 said:
  
  Thanks, Graham, these walls are the easiest subject with all its little details and things going on, good for the fantasy 😉
  Greetz, Ron
  
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Hattie Wilcox on July 30, 2014 at 23:46 said:

Outstanding image

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- Rondje on October 8, 2014 at 15:51 said:
  
  Thanks very much, Hattie, and sorry I got back to you so late, hope all is well!
  Greetings, Ron
  
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Gail Schechter on July 29, 2014 at 01:07 said:

that’s some tea dance!!!
must be YUMMY!

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- Rondje on August 26, 2014 at 17:13 said:
  
  Hi Gail, actually the art is much more tasty than the drink itself in my opinion 😉
  Warm greetings from Malaysia,
  Ron
  
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shabnamphoto on July 22, 2014 at 15:49 said:

Whoa! that’s a great insight into tea drinking, I never knew, great photo ron 🙂

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- Rondje on August 26, 2014 at 17:15 said:
  
  Hi Shabnam, it is definitely different than I was used to in Europe!
  Hope all is great, sorry to not be around here too much lately, but appreciate your attention always!
  Have a great week,
  Ron
  
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steviegill on July 15, 2014 at 23:12 said:

Weird but cool. Great composition.

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- Rondje on October 9, 2014 at 15:05 said:
  
  Thank you, Stevie, easy to compose when the subject is staying still: just find the most interesting piece of wall with the bag on one of the golden triangle points 😉
  Cheers, Ron
  
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Beauty Along the Road on July 8, 2014 at 22:05 said:

A great picture! I love the smoothness and colors of the bag against the rough textures of the wall.

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- Rondje on October 9, 2014 at 15:03 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Annette! Makes me happy to hear you had an interest in these simple aspects of it!
  Hope all is great, greetings,
  Ron
  
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Bespoke Traveler on July 8, 2014 at 05:28 said:

Love the interplay of blue paint and string with the coppery red tea in the bag.

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- Rondje on October 9, 2014 at 15:01 said:
  
  Thanks very much for your thorough look! I love the different layers of paint in these walls, slowly crumbling over decades and then somebody decided to put the cherry on thecake with that tea-bag 😉
  Happy travels and greetings from Malaysia,
  Ron
  
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Louis on July 8, 2014 at 04:12 said:

Beautifully observed patterns, textures and colours combined in an effective composition.

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- Rondje on October 8, 2014 at 20:04 said:
  
  Thanks very much, Louis, there are so much fantasies hidden in these walls, I couldnt believe this was how I found it…
  Have a great week, greetings,
  Ron
  
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the dune mouse (CybeleMoon) on July 8, 2014 at 02:25 said:

wonderful!!

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- Rondje on August 26, 2014 at 17:09 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Cybele, hope everything is great!
  Greetings, Ron
  
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Touch2Touch on July 6, 2014 at 08:17 said:

It’s a marvel how such nondescript materials add up to such an attractive and striking photo. You’ve got the eye.

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- Rondje on October 8, 2014 at 18:36 said:
  
  Thats so great ot hear, Judith, many thanks for your compliment! Can you believe this scene was there as this shows? The only explanation I can think of there has been a photographer before me or someone that hopes a photographer finds it like this 😉
  Hope all is great, reetings from Malaysia,
  Ron
  
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vera ersilia on July 5, 2014 at 12:22 said:

And you pulled one of your typical ‘signature’ image!

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- Rondje on August 26, 2014 at 17:16 said:
  
  Hi Vera, thats very kind of you to say,i guess my love for textures and abandoned scenes is very obvious here 😉
  Hope all is well, greetz, Ron.
  
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Alli Farkas on July 5, 2014 at 07:47 said:

Tea isn’t the only thing that comes in a plastic bag…you might be interested in this video, courtesy of WP blogger http://crazyguyinthailand.com/

Hope this link works–

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- Rondje on August 26, 2014 at 17:19 said:
  
  Hi Alli, link didnt work, guess the video was taken off, but here they serve lots of stuff in plastic bags, any juices, coffees, teas and even their curries to take away 😉
  Saludos, Ron.
  
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  - Alli Farkas on August 27, 2014 at 09:33 said:
    
    Looks like the site got marked “private”–don’t know why a blogger would only want certain people to see it, but oh well…
    
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    - Rondje on September 23, 2014 at 17:29 said:
      
      Oh, thought it was just the video, but I always wonder that as well, but guess we´ll never know 😉
      Hope all is great with you, greetings,
      Ron
      
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littledogslaughed on July 4, 2014 at 00:13 said:

I love the simplicity of this image–it really pulls you in and makes you take notice of the wonderful texture and color of the walls and the bag. It is what I would call–sublime.

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- Rondje on August 26, 2014 at 17:22 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Meg, thats so great to hear; thats the whole idea behind the simplicity in composition and subject to make the textures and detail tell the story and play with our fantasy 😉
  Hope all is great with you, greetings, Ron.
  
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logphotography on July 3, 2014 at 23:04 said:

I am from Nicaragua, I used to during coca cola out of a bag (with a straw) like this.

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 12:20 said:
  
  Hola Luis, ah nice to know there´s more people doing it like this; I must say it´s maybe not the best way, cuz these bags are thrown out everywhere, but I guess its just more common here to throw rubbish everywhere, hate that!
  Have a great day, Ron.
  
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  - logphotography on July 24, 2014 at 00:10 said:
    
    We in the USA thro a lot of stuff. It was cheaper then to use a bag (clean, and new) to provide drinks. They would charge a deposit for the bottle
    
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Noeline Smith on July 3, 2014 at 18:20 said:

It’s great to learn how other parts of the world live – thank you. Lovely photo too.

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- Rondje on July 22, 2014 at 11:40 said:
  
  Hi Noeline, thats so great about following all these blogs around the world -always better to see with your own eyes- but it does give you so much knowledge and sights you would never have known through ´normal´ media!
  Thanks, hope all is well, greetings,
  Ron
  
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Kathy Samuel on July 3, 2014 at 13:48 said:

I’d love to taste it, although I’m not sure about the bag and straw!

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- Rondje on July 22, 2014 at 11:29 said:
  
  Hi Kathy, its very similar to the Inidan Chai tea, very sweet milky tea, but I wouldnt try this bag looks like its been hanging there for awhile 😉
  Thanks for your comment, all the best from KL,
  Ron
  
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Angeline M on July 3, 2014 at 09:34 said:

Great color and texture in your photo. And the video is awesome!

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- Rondje on July 21, 2014 at 19:30 said:
  
  Hi Angeline, thanks for the compliment, appreciate that a lot! And although lots of this ´tea´ is served from a certain height to get the air in they are not all as skilled as this one 😉
  Have a good week, greetings, Ron
  
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Lisa Gordon on July 3, 2014 at 02:41 said:

So nicely seen and captured, and I really love the texture in this.

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- Rondje on July 21, 2014 at 19:07 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Lisa, always a pleasure to read your comments 😉
  I try to keep it simple as a composition to enhance the interest on the texture and detail, at least that is the idea 😉
  All the best to you,
  Ron.
  
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suej on July 3, 2014 at 02:38 said:

Love that image…the limited colour palette, the texture 🙂

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- Rondje on July 21, 2014 at 19:06 said:
  
  Thanks very much, Sue! I do believe that these images profit from their simplity cuz it makes the texture and details more interesting, as there´s not much else to see…
  Have a great week, Ron.
  
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  - suej on July 21, 2014 at 19:15 said:
    
    And you have a good week too, Ron 🙂
    
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My Heartsong on July 3, 2014 at 01:30 said:

Wow! Now that is an art. Before I watched the video I was interested in the “weight”of the bag hanging on the wall And , of course, the texture. Thanks for sharing, it is amazing what I learn from these blogs.

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- Rondje on July 21, 2014 at 19:05 said:
  
  Hi Jane, thanks for your interest, it´s merely half a kilo at its most, just a cup, glass or can of anything put in a bag with a straw 😉
  Totally agree that all these blogs form all over the world is a nice way to learn about other cultures and habits!
  Hope all is great, greetings from Malaysia
  Ron
  
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David Hall on July 3, 2014 at 01:26 said:

Wonderful colours and textures.

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- Rondje on July 17, 2014 at 20:42 said:
  
  Thanks a lot, David! I love it when my subject is standing or eh hanging still so i can take the time to do my settings and lighting 😉
  Greetings, Ron.
  
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Fran on July 2, 2014 at 23:09 said:

I like the picture, but also the history is interesting and the video: Vow! It’s amazing.

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- Rondje on July 17, 2014 at 20:41 said:
  
  Muchas gracias, Fran, thanks very much and nice to hear you read and watched it, makes me a happy blogger 😉
  Have a great weekend, Ron
  
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Paula on July 2, 2014 at 21:34 said:

I forgot to compliment on texture – terrific!

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- Rondje on July 17, 2014 at 20:40 said:
  
  Ah, well, that´s fair, thanks, the wall was a very happy subject 😉
  
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Paula on July 2, 2014 at 21:33 said:

Impressive skills on Teh Tarik Man 😀 This is an intriguing capture with great composition and processing.

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- Rondje on July 17, 2014 at 20:40 said:
  
  Haha, yeah, i thought so too, not all of em serve it like that though 😉
  Thanks for the compliment on the photo and hoping the last bit til your holiday goes smoothly!
  
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  - Paula on July 17, 2014 at 20:43 said:
    
    Hi Ron, only one day of work and two days of packing left :D.
    
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    - Rondje on July 17, 2014 at 20:45 said:
      
      Haha, great timing, you must be so happy 🙂
      
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      - Paula on July 17, 2014 at 20:56 said:
        
        If I don’t kill the hysterical old guy sitting close to me and yelling on the phone today or tomorrow, I am OK :D. I’ll be back from holiday on 3rd of August to see your new posts 🙂
        
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        Rondje on July 17, 2014 at 21:18 said:
        
        haha, maybe he needs a holiday as well!
        Won´t be too much posts, maybe two, will be on a little tropical getaway too 😉
        Enjoy and looking forward to your findings and photos!
        
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        Paula on July 17, 2014 at 21:40 said:
        
        Thank you very much, Ron. You’ve missed my “so long” post 😉
        
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        Rondje on July 17, 2014 at 21:46 said:
        
        Oh, have to do my rounds still 😉
        But so long then…
        enjoy!
sedge808 on July 2, 2014 at 20:50 said:

Big wow !

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- Rondje on July 17, 2014 at 20:32 said:
  
  Thanks a lot, Gav!
  Have a great day, greetz, Ron.
  
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allesistgut on July 2, 2014 at 19:06 said:

Very interesting. And thanks for sharing the video. His skills are very impressive. 😉

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- Rondje on July 21, 2014 at 19:03 said:
  
  Hi there, thanks very much and yeah, he´s very skillful, unfortunately they don´t all serve it like that 😉
  Have a great week, Ron.
  
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