8,000 Pounds Later

I’ve been in Indonesia for about a month and a half now, and in that time, I’ve most likely tripled my body weight. I’ve been too afraid to actually check my weight, so thats just a rough estimate.. but I have a feeling it’s pretty accurate. The food here is delicious. Everything is either traditional, or fresh, and I can never get enough of it. Sometimes people here ask me, oh, what are some traditional foods in America? I really have to think a second before I reply..what are traditional foods in America? The ones that jump out at me are hamburgers, barbecue, grilled cheese, and peanut butter sandwiches. Here, traditional foods have names like Gudeg, Soto,.. they all sound very foreign and cool to me as an American. The biggest difference i’ve seen in terms of food between America and Indonesia is the way it’s prepared and served. There are some similarities, but its mostly very different. For example, in my town.. people usually make a trip once or twice a week to the local grocery story, where they buy all the food they need for the week. They have no clue where the food they bought at the store was actually prepared, or butchered.. all they know about the food they eat is that it was in a little plastic package, and whatever the package says. In Indonesia, usually people go to the pasar (market) every morning, and buy the food they want or need for that day fresh. I can’t describe in great detail about the pasar because I haven’t been to one yet, but i know they’re nothing like a super market. There are so many people, butchering animals, preparing the food you want to buy..but right in front of you. There are super markets here, and some are very large, but I’d bet more people go to the pasar because it’s much cheaper. Another big difference is the way people go out to eat. There are many restaurants like America, and there are even many American restaurants, like KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut, and A&W. I was very surprised to find out that they have Root Beer in Indonesia. I was really convinced root beer was only an American thing. But anyway, KFC and Pizza Hut are very popular here. KFC might actually be more popular here than it is in America, which is crazy to think about. Other than the American restaurants, there are traditional restaurants, and then there are also, on almost every street, food stalls/vendors that sell one or two special foods that are made right in that stall. I love these places so much. Usually, the food is delicious, and very cheap. There absolutely is nothing like these street vendors in the US. I think our food safety/health codes are way too strict to allow places like that to exist. I really love them though. People will just sit with their friends or family for a while, snaking while sitting on a mat on the ground, as people and traffic will quickly pass by right in front of them. Its really an interesting contrast that really can’t be found in American cities, but its quite lovely.