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His name may be Don Juan, but this 29-year-old Chinese-Indonesian is no womanizer.

Spending his mornings as the accountant for Sie Sin, the family business in Bandenganand, and his afternoons selling traditional cookies, cakes and kue keranjang at a kiosk in Chinatown, this Don Juan would rather keep his money in the bank than spend it on the ladies or fireworks.

What does Sie Sin mean?

Sie Sin is just the name of the company, my grandpa won’t tell us what it stands for but our symbol is two doves. My grandpa started the company in the early ’80s. He’s 76 now so my dad and I take care of the business.

Do you feel like you’re more Indonesian or Chinese?

I feel like an Indonesian because I was born here and I’m happy here. But I still follow Chinese customs. I’m second generation. Based on my grandpa’s story, a long time ago there was a war in China and civilians ran away. My grandpa ran from his village in Xiamen to Indonesia.

Exactly how Chinese are you?

I believe in feng shui and Chinese horoscopes. There are 12 signs in Chinese zodiac and mine is the dog. Dogs get along well with tigers and horses. Sometimes I can feel it because when I deal with other people who are not tigers or horses, problems always come up. As for feng shui, it doesn’t hurt if you believe in it.

Are you pelit (stingy)?

[Laughs]. Everyone is different. Some Indonesians are pelit too. I use the knowledge I learned in college to manage my money. My parents use their logic. For example, when we want to open up a business, we first analyze the amount of investment, the risk, the profit and what product we are selling. If we do the calculations and we are happy with the result and feel like it will turn a profit ,we move ahead.

How do you get along with Indonesians?

In the Suharto era there was discrimination, but since Gus Dur took over and Chinese New Year became a public holiday we’ve gotten along fine. We share and we’re the same.

So were you here when the riots happened in 1998?

Yes, but I was at school in Tarsisius I, and this store was closed. Glodok was set on fire, but nothing happened here.

What are your work hours?

I have two shifts every day. At eight in the morning I’m at the factory in Bandengan to take care of invoices. In the afternoon I come here until 7 p.m. We work from Monday to Sunday and we only take New Year’s Day, Independence Day and Chinese New Year off.

What do you do on your days off?

I just stay at home. The last time I went on a vacation was five years ago. I want to go to other cities but I can never schedule enough time off . I want to be able to enjoy a long relaxing vacation.

How many Sie Sin branches are there in Jakarta?

We have three units in Pancoran, Pantai Indah Kapuk and Season City but the one in Season City is not active because we are short staffed.

How do you make kue keranjang?

It’s really easy. You just need sugar, orange peels and sticky rice. We use sticky rice and not flour because everything tastes better when you use pure ingredients.

How long can I keep kue keranjang?

It lasts for a week if you don’t use flour. It doesn’t go bad per se, it just becomes hard.

How much kue keranjang does the factory produce a day?

We produce six tons a day. That’s 12,000 pieces of kue keranjang. We sell to individuals and supermarkets. We also export.

Do you get a lot of Indonesian customers too?

Yes. Indonesians like them too but they like to wait until the cake is hard. Then they cut, fry and eat them with coconut.

What’s the history behind kue keranjang?

It’s got something to do with legends. According to Buddhism and the Chinese calendar, all gods gather in the sky to report the activities they’ve done in a year. When they gather together they hold events and one of them is the Kue Keranjang Festival.

What do you usually do on Chinese New Year?

I go to my parents and relatives’ houses from morning until late afternoon. It is a Chinese custom for young people to pay respect by visiting the old people. Married people give ang pao [red envelopes] to kids or people who are still single. I have 13 relatives from my dad’s side, six from my mom’s and I have two siblings. I can’t visit them all, so I just do it by phone.

Since you are single do you still get ang pao?

Me? I feel embarrassed receiving it — I’m already old.

Do you like fireworks?

No. Fireworks are a waste of money. They cost anywhere between Rp 100,000 and Rp 500,000 [$11 to $54]. It’s very expensive. I’d rather save my money, put it in the bank and wait until I get married.