My Life is Rice

It’s no secret that I love food. My family jokes that I am never (and will never be) full.  I frequently turn up at my sister’s doorstep in New Jersey unannounced and hungry in hopes of a home-cooked meal.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I had my first meal in Sumberejo. Even my ibu was excited to have me as a guest. She made sure to cook her absolute best dishes. The first night I had fish coated in a tomato and onion paste, potatoes in a spicy curry, satay (an Indonesian favorite) and rice. It was heavenly!

However, I overate. I later hid in my bedroom and concentrated on not vomiting. I sat in an upright position and mentally chanted, “Digest. Digest. Digest.”

The next morning I woke up to discover that the leftovers from the previous night were sitting out on the dinner table. My host family offered me last night’s fish, potatoes, satay, and rice for breakfast. I was so confused, but I ate it.

As I integrate into Indonesian culture, I notice major differences between American and Indonesian eating habits. Everyone loves lists these days, so let me make this easier to read.

Here’s a list of Indonesian eating habits I have noticed in the past 3 weeks:

1) RICE. All day. Every day. Every meal. No exception.

2) All 3 meals are cooked in the morning

3) Food is left out all day. People eat when hungry

4) Rice needs to be mentioned again

5) Family members rarely eat together. Eating alone is absolutely acceptable.

6) If it’s not salty, it’s sweet.

7) Sugar + Avocado = Tasty Indonesian Snack

8) Food is offered whenever your enter someone’s home

9) Wait!!!! Did I mention rice? I wasn’t sure if I had yet…

10) Everything is fried

11) You are officially a crazy person when you explain what a salad is

12) You are legally insane if you tell them you don’t eat rice in the morning

13) The biggest gossip around the desa (village) is what you like to eat in the States

14) When you say you are full, they wait 5 minutes and ask again if you are hungry

15) Snake fruit. It’s a thing

16) Rambutan (a fruit) literally translates into hairy head

17) ...Rice

I have been in Indonesia for a month. In the last few weeks I truly believe that I have eaten my weight in rice. I can finally say the following to my family:

I AM FULL