Now Indonesians, although you may not know this, are great FOODIES. Some of my family members even take road trips specifically to savor an indigenous dish of the area. This type of road trip is what we like to jokingly refer to as "Wisata Kuliner". Wisata means travelling and Kuliner is culinary. So essentially a travelling trip especially created for the sole purpous of gobbling every morsel insight.
Perhaps later on I will post a quick guide to my top 5 dishes to try in Bali or any other Indonesian area, please let me know!
So the 5 quick tips:
1. Do NOT eat with your LEFT HAND
Now as many of you may know, many Asian countries encourage eating with your hands. It is said to synchronize your body and the food. In effect, allowing you to fully gorge the food with all your senses. Even cooking is encouraged to be done with some hand involvement. This is said to produce the best dishes ever.However, it is absolutely CRUCIAL that you DO NOT eat with your LEFT HAND. There is a very strong strereotype that runs within many Indonesians, which is that the RIGHT hand is the GOOD hand and the LEFT hand is the BAD or IMPURE hand. The reason being, the LEFT hand is believed to be used to wash yourself after your trip to the loo. So NO touching the food with your LEFT hand whatsoever.
While we're on the subject of left hand, it is also crucial that you do not shake someone's hand with your left hand. Again it is considered rude as you are believed to be passing on your "that" bits to their hands. In the event that your right hand may be unavailable to shake an acquaintances hand you may shake their hand with your left hand but please do say sorry, or "Maaf" in Indonesian.
OF COURSE THERE IS A SPECIAL EXCEPTION FOR THOSE WHO ARE LEFT HANDED.
2. Please DO NOT drink the "KOBOKAN" water
If you are invited to eat with your hands, a bowl of clear water is usually given to "wash" or sanitize your hands. This is often referred to as a "KOBOKAN". Sometimes, if you are about to eat fish, you may be given a slice of lemon or lime to remove the fishy odours from your hands. You are to ONLY wash your hands using this water. Please DO NOT DRINK it.
It may sound like a joke, but I've seen many tourists treat this "KOBOKAN" water as a complimentary refreshment. DO NOT REPEAT THEIR MISTAKES!
Wash your hands, or merely soak them in the "KOBOKAN" before and after you eat. If you feel like you need more cleaning then you may ask to be guided to the "tempat cuci tangan" or even if you say "washtafel" most Indonesians will understand what you mean.
3. If you are OFFERED a dish, please EAT it
Now, you may be full, you may be stuffed, you may be on the verge of puking; BUT, please eat what food is offered to you. It is often the fruits of a laborious amount of time. Housewives in Indonesia often spend love, effort and time on preparing these dishes and it is often considered RUDE to refuse a dish.
If you are full, you may choose to only taste a bit, but please EAT it. If you know you are coming to visit a relative, please do not fill yourselves beforehand. Come, slightly hungry. In this way, if you are offered a dish it won't be hard for you to have some and if you aren't offered food you won't be starving either.
4. In that way please do NOT finish of the whole dish
Although savoring an offered morsel is considered polite, you are also NOT expected to finish the whole dish. Case in point, in the event that you are offered some cookies to savour say "putri salju" a common Ramadhan sweet, you may be handed the whole jar-full of cookies. Although they may be yummy, you are not expected to finish the WHOLE jar. Be considerate.
Modesty is a running theme amongst Indonesians, and it is considered gluttony to gorge yourself. I know, i know you may think this is a double standard we Indonesians have, but this is the way our culture works.
A great tip to get many Indonesians to like you is the 3C: Comment, Complimenet and C(Q)uestion. Sorry for the pun! But, use these 3 things to instantly get Indonesians to like you.
5. FAVOR "HALAL" foods
The majority of Indonesians are Muslims. That means all provinces of Indonesia, excluding Bali, consists of a large population of Muslims, in that way Halal food is often considered to be a better option.In the event that you are dining with a friend, perhaps a new acquaintance you've made, it best to assume that they are Muslims so please do order Halal foods.
This simply means, for the most of it, avoiding Pork and Frogs. All amphibious animals are NOT considered Halal.
An extra tip for you guys, since this is the Ramadan season, its best to avoid eating and drinking in public during the Ramadan time. Its often considered rude and disrespectful towards those that are fasting. However, you can still eat, just choose restaurant with covered windows. Don't worry you can still enjoy dinner as normal.
And those are my Quintessetial Tips to INDONESIAN CULINARY MANNERS
INDRONG
