Yandi

In a greasy spoon a stone’s throw away from our roastery, we had a chance to natter with Pryandi, co-owner of Commons London. Over a fry up and a cup of builder’s tea, we got to fire our usual brand of incoherent questions at him and were thrilled with his responses.

Arthur’s Cafe

Can you juggle?

Like juggle a football? I haven’t tried. If it’s three I think I can do it.

You think you can juggle three balls? That’s bold

Is this your default question to people? If there’s a link in the interview, what can tell about me? 

It tells me everything I need to know. Some people think there’s a right answer. 

There’s never a right answer

What do you miss most about Indonesia? 

Family and food. I was brought up back home but my mum and dad met here. Dad migrated here when he was five years old because my grandad was a BBC reporter for Indonesia. Mum came here for uni.
When I was born, I had very severe eczema so I had to go back to Indonesia because I needed to be in a tropical country.

For the heat?

Yeah for the heat. We had to come back to the UK every 2 years to ensure we had that indefinite leave to remain. I think we missed one window and that’s why mum and dad lost all their citizenship.

Just one window?

I remember it was ’98 and it was the worst time ever. I was never thinking of coming back, but then my uncle’s restaurant in the West End burnt down due to an electrical failure. I’d graduated from my law degree and started working in compliance. He calls me and says do you want to help restart the restaurant? So I moved to the UK and left the law behind.

What made you leave it behind?

It’s a different law. I studying civil law, but would have had to start from scratch learning common law. I wanted to do immigration law but it cost too much money. So I chose this path and it worked out wonders. 

Regrets?

Zero regrets. My younger sister and brother are both working and doing well. 

How much of a weight was lifted off of you knowing that they’re doing okay?

I’m a family person but when I was young I was never home. I’d only go home when I was tired but I knew that I didn’t want what I did to reflect badly on my family. Dad was there but not in the picture so I knew I had to be there for my sister, brother and mother. This is the only hard thing about being away, I can’t be physically present for them.  

If you had done law, would you have met your wife?

I think so because we’re old high school friends. We fancied each other but had someone else back in the day. Graduated, I went to the city and she went to Oklahoma. Then met again in the gym in our home county. I asked to be reintroduced by my friend and she told me ‘don’t fuck this up.’

Good advice.

When I asked if she wanted to be exclusive, we were in the car. She said yes then I told her I was moving to London in five months! Dumb boy thing.   She didn’t think long distance would work but eventually she wanted to move too so happy days. That was 2016.

The Indonesian coffee community. How do you find it?

We’re top four of the biggest exporters. Our coffee is very appreciated here but not as much back home. When I go back, everything I see is fermented Colombian coffee. Nestor Lasso. ‘Oh we have a very nice blend’ but with no Indonesian in it. In London it makes sense because we cannot grow it but not in Indonesia. Western is still the standard. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad thing. 

Myself, I have a passion project for a more community-based thing. I want to try and build a mosque but I don’t know when or where. Just started with a blueprint and a narrative around why. Me as a muslim back home you can go to any mosque and just pray. Here it’s a little different. I get a lot of ‘oh you have tattoos’ and stuff like that. It’s tough to put religion and the dynamics of life together but it can work. A community mosque for everyone, how can we exclude people? Who am I to judge anyone? I just want to give a more comfortable environment to pray in. 

Seems like a good place to end.