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The first thing that I was worried about before visiting Indonesia was the absence of pork. The second thing is the abundance of spicy food/delicacies which I rarely eat! But after coming here, it was not that bad after all. There are varieties of food that may be similar to other Southeast Asian Countries. Well, in my case, some of the food in Indonesia is quite similar to what we also eat in the Philippines such as Soto that somehow tastes like Miswa. That's why you don’t feel homesick about food in your home country sometimes. Plus, I think the different and interesting taste, flavor and texture will definitely hook you up in trying more Indonesian food. Here are the five reasons why I fell in love with Indonesian Food:
1. Noodles are to die for!
- Basically, Indonesians take pride in many local noodles that they make or cook. There is a surprising taste in it and they put a variety of interesting ingredients too. There are bakso (meatballs), nasi (rice), lontong (rice wrapped in banana leaf), ayam (chicken), and a lot more.
But the first thing they suggested was for me to eat Indomie which is a famous instant noodle brand in Indonesia. Honestly, I don’t usually eat noodles but I was intrigued on how it tastes like. When it finally came to that point, I think the taste was a bit better than the instant noodles we have at home. Haha. It generally tastes salty, spicy and the noodle itself is a bit thin.
On the other hand, we also tried Soto, Ayam Mie, Bakso, Omelet, and a lot more! Although, most of their noodles appear to be very simple but rich in taste. It is something that you can’t get enough of!
2. No pork, no problem!
- If you want to try to avoid pork and its greasiness, Indonesia is the best place for you to go! They cook food made from vegetables (mostly tofu), chicken, seafood, and other non-pork ingredients. When I tried most of their traditional food, Sambal is always on the table. The very spicy kick gives a more appetizing flavor to the food. Unfortunately, I am not one of those daredevils who like to eat spicy food but I tried only very small amounts of Sambal on my meals, and even so, I think the spicy paste still enhances the flavor of the food.
If you are really craving for pork meat, beef/chicken could be the best alternative for me. Anyway, you will definitely enjoy the chicken or beef dishes here. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even forget your pork craving once you’ve tasted it.
3. Unexpected Taste
- As they say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” In Indonesia, don’t assume the food’s flavor unless you’ve actually tasted it. There were numerous times that I was deceived whether the food is sweet, salty, sour, etc. Regardless, the foods here are surprisingly tasty. For instance, during our first meeting at UNISSULA, Ibu Riana (Head of OIA) offered us a snack called Kueku and I really thought it was an actual fruit! It turns out to be a red-colored sticky rice with sweetened coconut stuffing. The real fruit is called Jambu Air or Rose Apple.
Alfin and Kiky, our school buddies, also cooked food for all of us. They call it Krupuk Basah or roughly translated as “Wet Chips.” At first glance, I thought the food would taste sweet because of the appearance but I was wrong again. It has a salty fish taste. More than that, it’s chewable!
I also could not forget the Wedang Ronde that we ate at Simpang Lima during the first week of our stay here! We were already briefed that the soup is made out of ginger and the ingredients are dainties like the Ronde itself which is round-molded sticky rice, gelatin, etc. It is rather odd for my taste buds and it’s shockingly spicy! It’s too bad I couldn’t finish the bowl due to my sensitive tongue. However, my co-SEA teacher, Mr. Walter Jensen, seems to enjoy it very much. He effortlessly finished the entire bowl!
4. The Street Food will NEVER disappoint you
- Based on my observation, Indonesian people like to fry their food. Fried means goreng in Indonesia. If you see a fried chicken, you call it Ayam Goreng. If it’s fried egg, you call it Telur Goreng. They even have a fried banana called Pisang Goreng. If you want an easy-to-cook food, try anything goreng. On the flip side, if you eat too much grease, it will be harmful to your health. So even though the food tastes great, everything should be in moderation.
Bakar is also another way of cooking the food. It means grilled. Walter and I went to Pecinan, Semawis together with Ria (UNISSULA-OIA staff) and Ms. Nani (our supervising instructor). This is a Chinese Food Market and it is a FOOD HAVEN! The road full of food stalls stretches at least 1 kilometer.
5. Good food, Good people
- Of course, nothing beats eating delicious food without anyone to share it with. To be frank, I experienced eating Ayam Mie (chicken noodles) alone at the food stall near our dormitory and believe me, it is plain boring. Perhaps, I am lucky enough to have Mr. Walter and my other Indonesian friends that we met here such as Alfin (our buddy), Melati, Tiya, Kiki, and Arnila to be our “meal mates” or food companions. I also would like to special mention Ms. Nani again for acting as our mentor, food buddy, friend and most especially for acting as a part of our family. They introduced, offered, provided and showed us all of the famous food and delicacies that they have here in Semarang, Indonesia. Besides being generous, the locals, our colleagues, and our superiors are fun to talk to, conversational, informative and very thoughtful. You couldn’t ask for more because they’re already the best.
For sure, there are a lot more things to fall in love with their food and their culture. There are a lot more that I haven't tried yet. If only there was more time. At this point, I realized the beauty of their culture, the uniqueness of their food and the diversity of the people. They have totally won my heart over!
That's all! Terima Kasih!
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