Surabaya and Symptom of Sarcasm in Food and Beverage Stalls
Muhammad Fuad Izzatulfikri, Universitas Airlangga
Saharani Nurlaila Buamonabot, Universitas Airlangga
Khadijah Aufadina, Universitas Airlangga
Abstract
Surabaya as an industrial city presents a wide range of food and beverage industries. The high
number of food and beverage store owners has led business owners to present unique and creative
names in their line of business. Some sarcastic names are selected and used as store names, such
as: Mie Pecun, CakCuk Cafe, Depot Gang Djangkrik, etc. The use of these sarcastic names
gradually received a positive response from consumers and successfully influenced the emergence
of new stores that use the name sarcasm. This study uses a qualitative method. Data collection
techniques were conducted using documentation techniques on 6 food shop logos and 2 beverage
logos. Data analysis was done by using descriptive method in the form of reading the data,
reducing data, classifying data by type, data interpretation, and drawing conclusion. The theory
used in this research is Umberto Eco theory. This theory examines semiotics based on cultural
units. The research results obtained from the documentation of the food and beverage logo show
that the symptom of sarcasm logo as a cultural unit is inseparable from the identity of the
community owned by Surabaya as a coastal and linguistic society namely basa surabayaan.
Characteristic forms of sarcasm refer to body shape or physical, typical Surabaya bait, and curse
referring to the animals on the logo they display. The sarcasm function in the logo or name used
is an expressive form of the creativity of food and beverage owners to show the locality of
Surabaya. Symptoms of sarcasm that arise have a strong attachment between the identity of the
cultural unit of Surabaya society with the character of modernism development.
Keywords: beverage stall; food stall; sarcasm; semiotic Umberto Eco; Surabaya
1. Introduction
Surabaya is a major industrial city in East Java. As an industrial city, Surabaya presents
a wide range of businesses, such as food industry, beverage industry, textile industry, and so on.
According to BPS data of Surabaya (2017: 227), most industries in the Surabaya area are food
industries with the total number around 140 industries and the number of workers is around
16,821.This number is quite high comparing other industries such as the textile industry as many
as seventeen industries, the paper industry as much as 36 industries, 55 wood industries, and so
forth. The large number of food industries in Surabaya has caused higher competition. This issue
causes traders to be more creative by using unique names for their food stalls, taverns, and others.
The naming and use of sarcasm names on food and beverage products emerged in the 2000s.
Some names of food stalls and taverns in Surabaya such as Mie Pecun (Officially opened on April
2
nd
2011), Mie Sexy, CakCuk Cafe, Nasi Goreng Jancuk (Officially opened on April 21
st
2016),
PenyetanCok (Officially opened in Jakarta in 2013), Depot Gang Djangkrik, and Jangkrik Caf.
The use of sarcasm language is inseparable from the culture of the people of Surabaya
who use the language of pisuhan as a common language and use it in everyday life. In other
words, the people of Surabaya enjoy and make that language as one of their styles. Thus, sarcsmis
as a way of life and becomes part of their identities. Sarcasm according to Poerwadarminta (in
Tarigan, 1990: 92) is a language style that contains mockery or hideous and painful. Then, Keraf
(2004: 144) defines sarcasm as a more rough reference of irony and cynicism. Various definitions
are rooted in the use of language as a form of interaction and communication.
The naming of food and beverage stalls cannot be separated from the use of language as
a form of interaction and communication to consumers. Food and beverage stores that use unique
names, attract consumers’ interest in visiting the venue. This is in line with Keraf's (2004: 3-4)
statement of language function, namely as (1) a tool for expressing self-expression, (2)
174 Copyright © 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research (ASSEHR), volume 228
International Conference on Language Phenomena in Multimodal Communication (KLUA 2018)