Tarko Sudiarno

If you have visited Yogyakarta and bought a T-shirt from Dagadu store, you are familiar with the jokes printed on the shirts that will make anyone smile.

Yogyakartans love to create memes and jokes. During the week-long Kangen (literally translated as "missing") Market once a year, those jokes are worth the wait.

The market is held at the Yogyakarta Cultural Park. It is open every afternoon and sells old-fashioned snacks, which are rarely found these days. Visitors can also meet Klitikan traders who usually sell affordable old items.

These traders often create catchy phrases that make visitors take selfies. For example, at the central gate there is a board with the writing “Awas Kecopet Hatimu” (Beware of Heart Stealer); a lemongrass tea seller has a sign saying “Es Serah Karepmu” (It’s up to you); a fried tofu seller says “Tahu Skripsi Dulu Biar Cepat Lulus” (Undergraduate thesis first, graduation later); and an iced sugarcane seller has “Cintamu tak semanis tebuku” (Your love is not as sweet as my sugarcane). [yan]