April 2025: A Basket Case of Tangerines

Welcome to Æ'S shared notes! This blog is specifically for updates and developments at Homage.

What we've been up to:

During the month of Ramadan, we were open from 1PM to 9PM — and closed as usual on Wednesdays. These past few days, we've been sitting down more and thinking about where we want + need to go. Our mission is the same as ever: to make delicious stuff accessible and provide a comfortable experience for guests. But the challenge is what is the best way to do that?

First, our sincerest apologies for the recent and random sudden closures. We've been rearranging schedules so that going forward, we will be open from 7AM to 8PM every day (except Wednesdays). We will be taking a more hands-on approach to shop operations going forward, so you'll see us a lot more than you have been.

What we've been brewing:

1) Malaysia - My Liberica JH Natural Liberica

E: Liberica tends to be added, one or two grams at a time, to a dose comprised of mostly softer, more delicate beans. That's because, on its own, it has a tendency to be overwhelming — often bitter, aggressive, and rubber-like. (I once described it as reminiscent of accursed Salted Egg Indomie).

A: This JH Natural Liberica defies expectations. It has pleasant and refreshing acidity, with the perfect amount of balanced sweetness. There is little to no smokiness, and most importantly, it's free of that rubber-like aftertaste! We love how this Liberica tastes when brewed as is, but some of our friends have also blended it with other beans to great effect.

2) Costa Rica - Infinity SL 28 Natural/Honey/Washed

A: The SL28 variety is often found among offerings from Kenya, but has slowly begun to make its way to Central America. Veeery tasty, as it turns out! It's become one of my favorite alternatives to the gesha variety when the origin is either from Costa Rica or Bolivia. This particular batch expresses a gentle and delicate sweetness, sometimes followed with stone fruits and flowers.

PS, we are currently offering these both in a limited edition deluxe 50gr size. If you're interested, come by our shop to try!

What we've been planning:

We'll be launching our Weekend Preorders - Homage Bakes program tomorrow as a way to get our baked goods to dear friends and family outside of Bandung.

We'll be expanding our menu of meals over the next month or two!

If we do ever add more staff, we'll be even more careful about proper training and guidance. If you're interested in working at Homage, send us an email (we're at homagemakes@gmail.com) with your CV and let us know why.

What we've been reading:

"The Aggressive Commodification of Cosy Asian Fiction", a cultural critique written by Nina Culley

E: I've had this essay open in my browser, simmering, for a good week or so. Writing this post gave me a reason to read through it.

In her essay, Culley writes, "Quaint settings and minimalism are emphasised, perhaps to align with Western perceptions of ‘authentic’ or ‘cute’ East Asian culture. It’s safe. It’s palatable. It’s homogenising. This risks making East Asian literature seem over-saturated with cats or quirky storefronts".

This concern about the homogenisation of art is one I've had for ages. Any of my close friends will recall the lengths (in chat rooms and private messages) to which I complained about the unspoken expectation of self-curation — or maybe more aptly, self-censure — by writers. So many contemporaries, I felt, dumbed their work down to either the ultra-foreign and horrific (gratuitously bloody, with inane chatter about vengeful ancestors, gruesome trips abroad aboard a leaky boat, and bone-deep cuts of flesh) or the ultra-relatable and exceedingly ordinary (whatever affirms any BookTok-worthy aesthetic).

(Both feel ultra-curated, fake, and soulless to me in the same way AI is.).

Authenticity, I think, is diametrically opposed to commodity. As a creator, you have to choose. In literature, "selection and marketing processes hold significant power in shaping perceptions of literary works, with publishers making decisions based on what trends and sales figures deem culturally significant." Writers are therefore constantly at the mercy of aforementioned tastemakers. To sell, one must sell out. Again, the choice: are you going to keep your mouth shut and remain marketable, or are you going to speak out against Palestine. Will you risk your own career to expose the Harvey Weinsteins of your discipline? Are you going to italicize every other word in your half-Indonesian, half-English manuscript to appeal to the editor who longs to appear cultured and worldly? What about your struggling little coffee shop — are you going to introduce more sweet iced drinks or stick to your overpriced ten-minute pourovers?

In the struggle to do more than survive, what parts of our selves do we agree to part with? Which do we keep?

What we've been watching:

When Life Gives You Tangerines, a Korean drama

I've aged out of the patience required to stomach most Korean dramas, but will make rare exceptions for certain writers or a single lead actress: Gong Hyo-Jin. I decided to give WLGYT a chance for two reasons: 1) it's written by Lim Sang-Choon, who also wrote the 2019 drama When the Camellia Blooms starring Gong Hyo-Jin.

2) It stars IU as the lead actress.

My love for IU dates back to at least 2010. I grew up listening to every one of her new songs, EPs, and albums. I was there for her first fully self-authored song (Peach) and her first shaky forays into acting. For Lee Ji-Eun, I even sat through the super-long Korean drama You Are The Best, Lee Soon Shin! (Imagine: fifty hour-long episodes!!!!) and defended her staunchly during her Zeze controversies.

Also, the first movie A and I ever watched together was Hirokazu Koreeda's Broker, and IU's there too. Hehe.

I'm ambivalent when it comes to IU's overall repertoire of film and drama work, but nostalgia compels me to continually support her in the ways I can. We've been enjoying the series so far and I'll update you again once we've finished the remaining 13 episodes.

Daredevil: Born Again

Series are weird for us — sometimes we're super-aligned with the general status quo and sometimes we really like shit (like Rings of Power) that a lot of other people hate.

I think my consumption of Daredevil: Born Again benefits so far from my going in totally blind (haha)(sorry, Matt Murdock). I haven't watched previous seasons so there's nothing to complain about or compare. It's a shame the same can't be said by real fans of Daredevil.

What we’ve been listening to:

1) Mojave - International Music System

2) Through The Motion - Vegtable's debut LP