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Dining Out | Dining Out |
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Going out for dinnerFood is important in Indonesia. And it tastes great. A get together or a family party will never take off without plenty of food. Everybody will brings something and at the end of the party the remaining food is divided between the guests who take it home. Every island has it own specialities. Some dishes take 4 hour to prepare. Given the importance of food it is surprising that dining out and romantic dinners are not common in Indonesia. If you invite somebody you like for dinner he or she may well respond: Bagus. Boleh saya bawa adik saya juga? - Good. May I bring little brother/sister I too? - Great, can I bring my little brother/sister as well? Let's try to contain this catastrophe: Here are some more examples how to invite somebody to eat out: And, if you are successful, you may need this phrase: Ther are different type of restaurants: Restoran or rumah makan is a proper sit-down restaurant where a waiter will serve you. Warung Tegal (Warteg) is a traditional type restaurant where all costumers sit around a large U-shaped table with the waiter in the middle. All food is in the middle and every guest takes what he wants.
Common dishesIn this restaurant conversation some common dishes are ordered. Mua pesan apa? - Want order what? - What would you like to order?
Padang FoodMasakan Padang is for many the best Indonesian food of all. It not only delicious, it is also served in the most convenient way ever possible. There is nothing easier than eating in a Padang restaurant. Sit down at a table and relax. You don't need a menu, you don't have to ask about the food, and the only thing (if at all) you have to tell the waiter is the word: Makan - to eat - I want to eat. Seconds after you said makan the waiter will come with many little bowls or plates, each of which has different kind of food on it. In front of you they will put a plate with a lot of rice. To your right there will be a bowl with hot water and a lemon slice in it. Put right hand in the bowl of water to wash it and then take all the food you like and leave the stuff you don't like in the bowls. You will only have to pay the food you took from the little bowls and plates. You can eat with your fingers (right hand only). As a desert there should be bananas on the table. In good Padang restaurants you should also find a glass of tea next to you. When you had enough wash your hand again in the water bowl and tell the waiter hitung - count. He'll count what you ate by the empty bowls and banana skins. Anybody who thinks American fast food is the ultimate in convenience hasn't had Padang food yet.
DrinksEverything containing traces of alcohol is minuman keras - beverage strong - alcoholic drink Mau bir satu lagi? - Want beer one again? - Do you want another beer? Tea or water are the most common drinks. Note that air means water but also juice. Mau minum air therefore could mean you want water or some juice. To be specific say: Note that orange juice often comes with enormous amounts of sugar: To avoid this order:
Four Food FrustrationsIndonesia has one of the world's best cuisines. But there are some unusual things to observe. 1. KnifesMinta pisau - request knife - Can I have a knife please? Most restaurants won't have knifes (unless they specialise in western food). But unlike with Chinese food you will often need to cut meat. Rendang and chicken often comes in fairly large pieces. If you get cutlery at all it'll be fork and spoon only. Sometimes you get chop sticks for noodle soup. The solutions: 2. Finger foodEating certain food with your fingers is accepted in Indonesia, even in Restaurants. At first this doesn't seem to be a problem to westerners. We have done it all as a child and even as adults when eating fast food. But you'll be surprised how difficult it can be to plunge your fingers into a meal with rice and sauce and vegetables and try to get it all into your mouth with minimum loss in transit. That's why Indonesians often ask: Once you master it however you'll find that food can actually taste better when eaten with fingers. It's probably natural to use also your tactile sense when eating. Try it. Nasi goreng - fried rice and mie goreng - fried noodles are normally not eaten with fingers. Padang food in contrast only tastes good when fingered. If you want to give up say: 3. Warm orange juice, and worseIf you order orange juice like that: Minta air jeruk satu gelas - Request water citrus fruit glass one - May I have a glass of orange juice please? Then 80% of cases that orange juice will be either warm or hot. I mean deliberately heated! This is no plot to oust foreigners but one Indonesia's mysteries I do not even dare to solve. Air jeruk panas enak - Water citrus fruit hot is delicious - Warm orange juice is delicious. One solution: This does't always work, often there is only hot orange juice. The safest way is therefore to say: Hot orange juice is not the end of it. There is a range of fancy drinks most of them are sweet, warm and induce instant vomiting. At a business lunch my counterpart once ordered: Also when ordering water, don't forget to order it cold. The default is always warm or hot. 4. GristleGristle is a normal food in Indonesia. When ordering sate from cheap street vendors tell them you want meat, otherwise you may get a skewer of gristle without any meat attached to it. Ini daging atau tulang? - This meat or gristle? - Is this meat or gristle.
Vegetarian foodIndonesian vegetarian food is excellent but under-profiled. It is in fact difficult to get vegetarian dishes in restaurants. Better quality restaurants often consider vegetarian as poor people's fare. Note that Indonesians are normally not vegetarians. The word vegetarian may not be understood by everybody. It's safer to say: Some recommendations:
TestFill the right word 1. How do you avoid that the girl or a boy you like brings half his family to the supposedly romantic dinner? 2. You want to order chicken sate: 3. You feel you have already drunk too much. What do you say (if you still can)? 4. How is orange juice normally served in Indonesia?
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