PART FIVE

Food and Drink

Dining in Indonesia can be an extraordinarily pleasurable experience, particularly if you are adventuresome enough to sample the local cuisine. The following basic words and phrases are designed to help you read menus and order food in Indonesian restaurants.

rumah makan, restoran restaurant
warung small restaurant, eating stall
makan to eat	makan an food
masak to cook	masakan cooking, cuisine
minum to drink	minum an a drink, drinks
makan pagi breakfast (lit: "eat morning")
makan siang lunch (lit: "eat midday")
makan malam supper (lit: "eat night")
dingin cold	panas hot (temperature)
pesan to order	lagi more
rekening, bon bill	daftar list, menu
Mas! Waiter! (only used on Java)
Mbak! Waitress! (only used on Java)
pisau knife	garpu fork
sendok spoon	piring plate
gelas glass	mangkok bowl
cangkir cup
sumpit chopsticks
tisu paper napkins

 Ada masakan Indonesia di sini?

Do you have Indonesian food here?

 Boleh lihat daftar makanan?

May [I, we] see the menu?

Saya mau pesan... I would like to order...

satu porsi... one portion of...

setengah porsi... half a portion of...

 Minta garpu dan sendok.

Please give me a fork and spoon.

Minta satu lagi. I would like one more.

 Ada minuman dingin (dari kulkas)?

Do you have cold drinks (from the refrigerator)?

 Kasih satu botol bir dingin.

Give me one bottle of cold beer.

Tidak pakai es. I don't want ice. (lit: "Don't use ice.")

Minta gelas kosong. I would like an empty glass.

Minta bon. I would like the bill.

Note: When eating informally at home, Indonesians normally use the fingers of the right hand without any utensils. You will see people eating this way in streetside stalls or warung, sometimes in small restaurants as well. When eating out in restaurants, however, forks and spoons are more commonly used. Table knives are found only in Western restaurants serving dishes like steak, while chopsticks are provided only in Chinese restaurants.

Basic Food Terms

air (pron: "AYE-er") water	nasi cooked rice
air minum drinking water	gula sugar
keju cheese	kuah broth, soup
tahu soybean curds, tofu	roti bread
tempe soybean cakes	telur egg
mie wheat noodles (usually made with egg)
miehun rice vermicelli	kue cake, cookie

Note: Most meals in Indonesia center around rice as the staple. The phrase makan nasi "to eat rice" is in fact often used to mean eating in general. Anything without rice is only considered a snack or a light meal. Noodles are a common light lunch or snack and are widely available, especially in Chinese restaurants. Tahu and tempe are inexpensive meat substitutes made from soybeans. They are now extremely popular in the West because they are high in protein yet low in fat and cholesterol.

Vegetables Sayuran
bawang onion	bawang putih garlic
bayam spinach	buncis green beans
caisin, bak coi Chinese cabbage
jagung corn	jamur mushrooms, fungus
kacang beans, nuts	kacang panjang long beans
kentang potatoes	kangkong water spinach
kapri snowpeas	kol, sawi cabbage
selada lettuce	selederi celery
timun cucumber	terong eggplant, aubergine
tomat tomato	wortel carrot
tanpa daging without meat, vegetarian

Meat Daging
ayam chicken	babi pork
bebek duck	sapi beef
kambing mutton	hati liver
bakso meatballs (usually beef)
buntut oxtail	babat tripe
sate grilled meat on skewers

Seafood Seafood

cumi-cumi, sotong cuttlefish, squid

ikan fish

kepiting crab

udang shrimp, prawn

udang besar lobster

tiram oysters

Vegetable sellers in Lombok, the island just east of Bali.

Cooking Terms

bakar grilled, toasted	kukus steamed
goreng to fry, fried	panggang roasted
rebus boiled	muda unripe, young
kering dry	basah wet, fresh
matang well-cooked, ripe, well-done
mentah raw, uncooked, rare
bubur porridge (usually rice, with meat added)
sop clear soup
soto spicy soup (with meat)

Breakfast Makan pagi

Breakfast is often included in the price of a hotel room in Indonesia. For breakfast, most Indonesians eat fried rice (nasi goreng) or bread (roti) with tea or coffee. In restaurants catering for foreigners, eggs and toast are also served, often with fresh fruits and juices.

mentega butter

roti bakar toast(lit: "burned bread")

selé, selai jam

telur dadar scrambled egg

telur goreng fried egg "over easy"

telur mata sapi fried egg "sunny side up"

telur rebus hard boiled egg

telur rebus setengah matang soft boiled egg

Common Menu Items

Most lunch and dinner menus are subdivided into sections containing rice and noodle dishes, meat, seafood, vegetables and drinks. You will usually be given a pad of paper on which to write down your order. Once you have done this, push it to the end of the table or wave it around so the waiter/waitress will come and pick it up.

When you have finished eating, you can ask for the bill by saying Sudah! "Already!" In some restaurants, you have to pay the proprietor at the main counter on the way out.

In most Indonesian restaurants, you will find a fairly "standard" menu containing some or all of the following dishes:

ayam goreng chicken stewed in coconut cream and spices, then deep fried

ayam goreng kecap chicken fried with sweet soy sauce

cap cay goreng stir-fried mixed vegetables (with meat)

cap cay kuah mixed vegetable soup (with meat)

fu yung hai Chinese-style omelette (with onions and meat)

gado-gado mixed vegetables with spicy peanut sauce

gudeg ayam young jackfruit and chicken stewed in coconut cream and spices

gulai kambing spicy curried mutton stew

kare ayam chicken curry

kepiting goreng deep-fried crab

kepiting rebus steamed crab

mie bakso Chinese noodles with meatballs

mie goreng fried noodles with meat and vegetables

mie kuah Chinese noodle soup

mie pangsit dumpling (wonton) noodle soup

nasi campur "mixed rice" i.e. rice with several side dishes

nasi goreng fried rice with meat (often with a fried egg)

nasi rames same as nasi campur

nasi rawon spicy beef stew with rice

pecel mixed vegetables with spicy peanut sauce

rujak raw vegetable salad with a sweet and spicy sauce

sate ayam chicken satay

sate kambing mutton satay

sayur asam sour vegetable soup (with baby corn, green beans, eggplant, peanuts, jackfruit nuts)

sayur lodeh vegetables stewed in coconut milk

soto ayam spicy chicken soup (with rice or noodles)

udang goreng mentega prawns stir-fried in butter

udang rebus steamed prawns

Note: To order any of the above vegetable or egg dishes without meat, place the words "without meat" (tanpa daging) after the name of the dish. For example: cap cay goreng tanpa daging ("stir-fried mixed vegetables without meat"). If you would like the dish not too spicy hot, you should add the words tidak pedas ("not spicy hot") or tidak pakai lombok ("don't use chili").

Food carts line the waterfront in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi.

Condiments and Snacks
acar pickles	permen candy
garam salt	gula sugar
jahe ginger	madu honey
merica, lada pepper	cabe, lombok chili pepper
emping fried crackers made of belinjo nuts
krupuk prawn (or fish) crackers
kecap (manis) (sweet) soy sauce
kacang nuts, beans	saus kacang peanut sauce
sambal chili sauce	saus tomat tomato sauce
sambal terasi chili sauce with fermented prawn paste

Notes: The most common condiments found in Indonesian restaurants are pickles (acar), sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and some form of chili sauce (sambal). You will also find large containers filled with various types of fried wafers, crackers and cracklings. You may help yourself to the latter, and the waiter will add them to your bill.

Fruit sellers in Ambon.

Fruits Buah

anggur grape	apel apple
arbei strawberry	belimbing starfruit, carambola
durian durian	jeruk orange, citrus
jeruk bali pomelo (like a large grapefruit)
jeruk nipis, limau lemon
kelapa coconut	mangga mango
nanas pineapple	nangka jackfruit
papaya papaya	pisang banana
rambutan small, hairy red fruit, like a lychee
semangka watermelon

Note: The variety of fruits in Indonesia is astounding. Some, like durians and mangos are seasonal. Many others, like bananas, papayas and pineapples are available year round. It is fun to poke around in the markets, and also cheaper to buy your fruits here.

Drinks Minuman

air botol, aqua bottled water

air es ice water

air jeruk orange juice (sweetened)

es jeruk iced orangeade (sweetened)

air limon lemonade

air minum, air matang drinking water, boiled water

air panas hot water

air setrop water flavored with colored syrup

jus juice                                                    es jus iced juice

anggur wine                                                bir beer

kopi coffee (black with sugar)

kopi pahit black coffee without sugar

kopi susu coffee with milk and sugar

kopi susu tanpa gula coffee with milk only

susu milk

susu panas hot sweetened milk

susu coklat panas hot chocolate

es teh ice tea

teh panas hot tea with sugar

teh botol bottled tea

teh pahit hot tea with no sugar

teh susu tea with sugar and milk

kopyor old coconut milk with sugar syrup

es kelapa muda iced young coconut milk with sugar

Lots of drinks, including most soft drinks, are known by their brand names. These include Coca Cola, 7 Up, Sprite, Fanta, Milo, Ovaltine, and so forth. Note that A & W Root Beer is pronounced "Ah-Way."

Most Indonesian drinks—including coffee, tea and fruit juices—come heavily sweetened with sugar. If you want them without sugar, or with only a little sugar, you have to specify this when you order. Coffee and tea are normally served sweet but without milk, so if you want milk you have to add the word susu. Finally, you need to specify if you want the drink hot or cold.

pahit bitter

teh pahit black tea without sugar

teh susu panas hot tea with milk and sugar

tanpa gula without sugar

kopi tanpa gula black coffee without sugar

kopi susu tanpa gula coffee with milk but no sugar

es kopi iced black coffee with sugar

gula sedikit a little sugar only

es jeruk gula sedikit iced orange juice with only a little sugar

Taste
asam sour	asin salty
manis sweet	pahit bitter
pedas hot (spicy)
enak tasty, nice	kurang enak not so tasty
lumayan so-so	rasa to feel, taste
sedap delicious	segar fresh

 Ibu suka masakan Indonesia?

Do you like Indonesian cooking?

Ya, enak sekali. Yes, it is very tasty.

Tidak terlalu pedas untuk Ibu? It's not too hot for you?

Ya, sedikit pedas tapi enak. Yes, a bit hot, but tasty.

 Masakan di restoran ini kurang enak.

The food at this restaurant is not so tasty.

Ya, ayam itu terlalu asin. Yes, the chicken is too salty.

Dan sopnya asam sekali. And the soup is very sour.

 Tapi nasi gorengnya sedap!

But the fried rice is delicious!

Notes on hygiene

It is important to take certain precautions so that your visit to Indonesia will not be marred by serious stomach problems. Intermittent bouts of indigestion or mild diahrrea are to be expected, as your stomach adjusts to new foods and stray bacteria. More serious, however, are intestinal parasites that can be picked up from food and utensils that are not hygienically handled. The following are a few tips.

Eat in restaurants rather than in roadside stalls. The problem with the latter is that they have no running water with which to clean dishes and utensils, and often a single bucket of water drawn from a nearby river or canal is used for this purpose throughout the day.

Never drink water straight from the tap. All drinking water (air minum) most be boiled. Even in luxury hotels, where the water is treated, it is not safe to drink. A thermos of boiled water or bottles of mineral water (aqua) are usually provided by the hotels,

Rambutans for sale in Bandung, West Java.

Avoid all uncooked foods, including salads and garnishes served in fancy Western restaurants. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in the market and clean and peel them yourself rather than purchasing already peeled fruits and vegetables from vendors.

Drink tea or bottled drinks rather than fresh fruit juices and other prepared cold drinks served in restaurants and by vendors. Bottled water is available everywhere in Indonesia, generically known by the brand name

Avoid ice altogether, as it is usually made with unboiled water. This is difficult to do on a hot day, but you should be aware that ice is the most common source of stomach ailments among Indonesians and foreigners alike. Instead, ask for refrigerated bottled drinks (dingin dari kulkas = "cold from the refrigerator")

Beware of glasses and utensils that are not well washed. You will always see Indonesians wiping their fork and spoon with a napkin before eating in a restaurant.

If you do get sick,it is best to eat plain white rice (nasi putih) with vegetable soup (sopsayuri), bread or rice porridge (bubur) and to drink plenty of hot black tea(teh pahit).