Kopitiams need to first become smoke-free

AS a Malaysian residing in Sydney, I enjoy going to the Kopitiam on Harris Street in the city whenever I feel like having some Malaysian food.

It’s a small coffee shop but the food is authentic hawker fare and needless to say it’s smoke-free, like all restaurants in Sydney.

Malaysian food is popular here and I readily promote it to all my Aussie friends.

I read that the Malaysian Tourism Ministry will propose 100 best kopitiams to promote coffee shops internationally “Promoting 100 best kopitiams in Malaysia to the world” (The Star, April 20).

Tourists to Malaysia will tell you readily that the food is great, but the coffeeshops will have to go smoke-free first. If coffeeshops still offer “Smoking” or “Non-Smoking” sections, that’s so last century. It simply won’t make the cut.

Come on, Malaysia, time to catch up with international trends. Make coffeeshops smoke-free first.

MALAYSIAN SYDNEY-SIDER,

Sydney, Australia.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/4/25/focus/11168258&sec=focus