In a quaint alleyway in Dewisita, Ubud, Bali, there is a small restaurant. It is called Sen San Warung, named after Pak Ketut San Di and his wife Ibuk Wayan Sen Li.
Pak Sen and Ibuk San both had worked as cooks at another restaurant, where they met and fell in love. They started their own restaurant 10 years ago and have been running the place together since then. It has become a family business of sorts. Their youngest daughter, a high school student, helps at the restaurant regularly.
The warung has 5 tables – three inside and two outside – and is maybe 16 m²(177 ft²) large. The windows are decorated with old photographs of visitors, now faded by years of sunlight. They charm the place with a sense of timelessness.
The view looking out from the restaurant is limited, but provides glimpses into dramas of everyday life.
The joint is a favorite among locals and tourists alike, but the nature of running a restaurant can be somewhat repetitive and tedious. Pak Sen looks out the window, as though pondering about life other than that of a restaurateur.
Chores after chores. It's unending.
Magical transformation: Every once in a while, Pak Sen changes into Baliese traditional costume and plays musical instruments at Ubud Palace.
This restaurant is full of life's small beauties and stories.
Pak Sen and Ibuk San finally get to relax after a long and busy day's work, bantering with a neighbor.
Early morning, Pak San cleans floors of his warung. He's back to work as usual, and life goes on.
Sen San Warung
Early morning, Pak Ketut San Di cleans floors of his warung in Dewisita, Ubud, Bali. This small restaurant is called Sen San Warung, named after his wife Ibuk Wayan Sen Li and him, and they have been running it for the past 10 years. The joint is a favorite among locals and tourists alike.
Before going to Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2015, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted from my on-going personal project documenting the struggle and suffering of the Sewol ferry victims’ families. Due to the budget and time constraint, I didn’t want to be overly ambitious. Therefore I had set a few goals:
1. Photograph only with 35mm. Get closer. Work it.
2. Find a simple and positive story at a close location.
3. Don’t get caught up in the big picture. Narrow it down.
And when I came across Sen San Warung on the alleyway to my homestay, I thought it was a perfect location to challenge myself. The warung has 5 tables – three inside and two outside – and is maybe 16 m²(177 ft²) large. Food was tasty and affordable and something about the couple really captivated me. I come from a family that runs a restaurant and their diligence reminded me of my own mother. She was born into poverty right after the Korean War and worked her way up to owning a few businesses in Seoul. Thanks to her hard work and sacrifice, I was able to seize opportunities not available in her own generation.
While taking on a visually challenging project, I wanted to shed a positive light on this family and ultimately show the other side of tourism-ridden Bali.
Many thanks to John Stanmeyer for pushing me hard and being so generous and to my incredible classmates for inspiration and camaraderie.
Produced during Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2015 in Ubud, Bali.
