Food, ikat etc...

Ok, to make amends for the recent dearth of posts, here's a random collection of bits and pieces prompted by having to delete some photos from my camera as the memory card was getting full...

One of the delights of a living in a tropical country is the variety of fruit available. As well as having eaten more bananas in the last year than in the previous 48 combined, I've also had lots of mango, papaya and nangka (jackfruit). Another fruit available here (as in many other tropical countries) is durian. If you've never come across this one before, this is one hell of a weird fruit. It comes in various sizes, usually about football sized, it is rock hard and covered with extremely sharp spikes. When you open it, it breaks into large segments, in between which can be found large stones. What you eat is only the fleshy pulpy covering of these large stones, so maybe 85% of the fruit is inedible. The durian's main feature is, however, its overpowering smell which I've seen described variously as fragrant (eh, no), pungent (that's a bit more like it) and offensive (now we're getting there). I remember seeing signs in Singapore prohibiting the carrying of durian on public transport due to its "fragrance". Despite its lack of edible parts, the difficulty in getting at them, and the horrendous smell, this fruit is seen as a real delicacy and is much prized.

   

 

 

Ok, moving on....one of the most well known souvenirs from Indonesia in general, and especially this part is ikat or traditional woven fabrics. The normal traditional dress here is a sarong, made from a piece of fabric about 2 metres long and 1 metre wide stitched into a tube or cylinder. Women wear this over one shoulder, while men usually wear it around the waist. Most traditional villages have many women who weave and the patterns vary from one region to another. I've just become the proud owner of my first piece of ikat, given to me as a present in return for helping out a friend who was in hospital recently. This is one long piece at the moment and hasn't been made into a sarong so I might keep it as it is or it could be made into a shirt, a throw or pretty much anything you like. This pattern (mostly black and white) is typical of parts of Sikka District (where I live).

 

And so, back to food. Last week I was in the hospital kitchen and took a few photographs. I can tell you, this is not like a hospital kitchen I have seen at home. Remember that this kitchen is currently producing about 210 meals three times a day. Fried chicken was on the menu when I visited, being cooked on one of the three paraffin stoves.  

 As well as the paraffin stoves, they also use gas for the larger pots (imagine the amount of rice that's required !).  This is pretty grubby to put it mildly...

 

          

Then there's a production line assembling the individual portions for delivery to the wards.

 

 I wonder what the HSE would say..

And finally, still on food : last Tuesday, I came home from work at 2pm to find that some friends had taken it on themselves to provide some fish and corn, had lit a fire beside my house and were just ready to serve lunch as I arrived. Ikan bakar (grilled fish) and jagung bakar (grilled corn) - delicious !

My contribution was a bottle of moke (local arak)....an essential accompaniment to ikan bakar !