Food Culture

I have almost become a vegetarian here in Indonesia. Well ok not really, but a good portion of my meals are vegetarian. I still eat meat about once every two days or so, but that is in contrast to eating meat for at least two meals a day back in the US. Not to mention every meal here is like dinner in the US, so if the situation were the same in the US then I would be eating meat for every meal.

The culture of food here is quite a bit different. Almost everyone in the house wakes up around 4:30 to pray, but if you do happen to live in a house that doesn't wake up to pray, then the women still wake up just as early to cook. A majority of the food is cooked in the morning and then left on the table so that you can come in to get food whenever you feel hungry later in the day. Indonesians stick to three meals a day just as we do, but the food is almost always the same for the entire day.

Here at permanent site my meals are almost the same everyday. There is, of course, an abundance of . . . Rice! I am in Asia and a 3rd world country after all. Every morning (and afternoon and evening as well) I can also find a pot of boiled vegetables with its stock, a plate of fried tempe (a compact block of soy beans) and tofu, and a plate of fried fish. Sometimes there is also a plate of chicken, but its not a staple. Depending on how fast all this food is eaten side dishes also become supplemented throughout the day with other food that has been purchased or cooked later. Sometimes at night my bapak goes out and buys sate (a grilled chicken skewer covered with a peanut sauce).

An interesting question that comes up when Indonesians ask about food in the US is "what is your base food?" They assume that it is bread, but we all of course know that it is not. We don't eat bread three times a day. I have told them that you may find it as toast for breakfast (but not always) and you will usually find in in a sandwich for lunch, but you don't normally see it on your dinner plate. During the first week of both of my homestays my family has bought me bread with the assumption that it would make me feel more at home. To their surprise I told them that I would rather eat rice for breakfast. I told them that I usually do not eat bread for a meal on its own. In some ways they were relieved by this because they don't see how you can be full off of bread (I have explained that I usually eat it with meat), but in other ways this confused them just as much. If bread is not our "base food" then what is?

We all know that we don't eat the same thing everyday, let alone for every meal. This is clearly a cultural difference. Maybe it is simply because we can afford variety or maybe it is because here food is what you simply need to stay alive. Either way it is different. I don't dislike the way I eat here. I think it actually makes it easier to control my intake of food (something that I have been struggling with for my entire life). It is kind of like wearing a uniform. If all the options are taken away then you don't have to worry about what you are going to wear and getting ready for work is a bit easier. I no longer think about what food would please me most at this particular moment and go searching for it. It also makes the days when I can choose food more fun. Its like dressing up a bit and allowing your desire to get a choice every now and then. All in all I think that this way of eating is working for me because there is balance.

Another difference is that meals are usually not a communal affair here. I eat most meals alone or at most with one other person. I don't know for sure why this is the case though. Some possible reasons may be that there usually isn't enough room around the table of everyone or because food may be seen as more of a necessity rather than a daily pleasure. (They certainly do find food to be a source of pleasure, but that doesn't mean that you indulge your cravings at every meal.) Overall though, I feel that Indonesians do not need family time over meals. Unlike suburban Americans, Indonesian villagers get plenty of family time throughout the day because the school and work day usually ends around 2pm. Their schedules revolve much more around the home. It is therefore not a necessity for them to take something practical like eating and turn it into family time.

Food here (and its culture) is good. I both equally enjoy it and get what I need. Balance has never come easily to me in regards to food. Hopefully I will be able to stick with the habits I have developed in the last few weeks as my time here progresses and even once I return to America.