Makanan di tepi jalan Riau, dengan orang-orang, asap dapur, dan warung kecil yang menjadi bagian dari kehidupan sehari-hari.
Roadside food in Riau is difficult to separate from roadside life. The stalls are often small, open to the street and close enough to the traffic that the sound of motorbikes becomes part of the atmosphere.
I photograph them because they are colourful and full of detail, but mostly because of the people behind the counter.
Smoke, heat and afternoon light
A row of satay skewers over hot charcoal can transform an ordinary roadside corner. Smoke catches the light and moves around the cook. Hands keep working while customers come and go.
These are the scenes where photography becomes almost sensory. You can imagine the heat from the grill, the smell of the charcoal and the noise of the street just outside the frame.
Simple displays
Some stalls need little more than a table or cart. Corn stacked in green husks. Bananas beside bottles of water. A mountain of peanuts on a red and white pushcart. Prepared snacks arranged in trays beneath a line of small lights.
The displays are practical, but they also make wonderful photographs. Repetition, colour and texture sit naturally beside the person selling the food.
The people behind the stalls
I am less interested in creating a catalogue of what to eat than in showing the people who make these places part of the street.
A vendor waiting for the next customer. A cook surrounded by steam. A woman tending food beside a workshop. These are working moments, but they are also moments of personality and connection.
Part of everyday Riau
Roadside stalls are easy to pass without a second look. With a camera, I find myself stopping more often.
They are part of the rhythm of Riau: food prepared in the open, conversations beside the road and small businesses woven into the everyday landscape.
More everyday scenes can be found in my Indonesian Street Life collection and the wider Indonesia photography archive.
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