Cullenary Delights in the land of cheap foods
Food in Jakarta is one of the wonders of living here, and one of the things that allows me to keep my sanity!
The other day, a friend from the office was helping m find a place to stay, and as the evening wore on, it was time to have dinner. The people at my office have taken it upon themselves to "introduce" me to the varied and strange food offerings here in this country...and trust me, it covers a wide gambit!
So, to start today’s adventure, I shall call it....
"Do you want the bird?"
Understand that there are few people here with good command of the English language, so I have to spend a lot of time trying to understand what they are trying to tell me. Until I can learn Indonesian, this will be the case, and at times the "mis-translations" can be interesting as they try and struggle to find the "correct" English word to explain things to me!
Back to this dinner.....
He takes me to a place close to where he lives where he described the food as "Street Hooker Food". Oh god, what was I getting myself into?
The "restraunt" (for lack of a better thing to call a bunch of tables and a tent on the street beside his apartment building seldom if ever saw a "white man" there, and for that matter most likely never even ever saw a tourist. This is defiantly "local" food.
Now, one thing I do understand here better than most things are the foods. I love good food, and had a friend that was Indonesian when I lived back in the states, so already had a good idea of the foods and names for foods before I arrived. Eating has been a wonderful adventure here with many wonderful and amazing tastes to enjoy and savor. Tonight was going to prove to be no different....if not a bit of a surprise.
We set down and my friend looks at the "menu" (really looks ate the words written on the wall of the tent) and ask me "Do you want chicken...or...and then he hessitates, thinks for a momment and says "or...the bird"?
"The bird?" What the heck was he talking about!
I look at him and ask "The bird?” He thinks, you see the wheels spinning and says "You know...the messenger"
Ahhh...clear as well...mud! At least by this time I have learned to "read between the lines" and think I had an idea what he was trying to say. I ask "Pigeon”?
Yes! That's it! Pigeon!
Oh dear god...I had spent my life as a child feeding the Pigeons in the park, and now here I was contemplating eating one!
Now, understand I have made up my mind to not be hesitant and to be willing to try and eat most anything. If you spend anytime in Jakarta, as an American, you will see sanitary and food practices that will make your stomach churn (things such as the man washing out the dinner plate from a dirty bucket with a filthy rag by the side of the road...and you just *know* that this is the plate your meal will be served on! A few days of this and you ether quickly starve to death or tell yourself to learn to deal with it.
There are a few basic rules I try and follow....
1.) If there are a lot of people eating, it must be fairly safe
2.) The more it's cooked and the hotter it is served the better!
3.) If it isn't killing them, chances are it won't kill me
4.) Try hard not to think to much about what it is you are eating and just enjoy.
I also try and remember (as an animal love) that the cute little animal running around your feet as you eat...is most likely...tomorrow’s dinner!!
So, here I was, about to try "Pigeon" for the first time.
Not bad, a bit on the boney side...but with a nice taste!
Dear god...what is happening to me! Here I am talking about eating pigeon as if it's a normal thing!
So far, I have had every internal organ found on every major food animal. (These they call "spare parts!)
Bat, monkey brains, dog...and something’s that quite frankly I really have no desire to find out what it was.
Before coming here, I was a VERY picky eater. Now, mainly due to at first not really having the slightest idea of what it was I was eating anyway, I have learned to be less picky and to simply enjoy...
Life has a lot to offer, if you only dare to brave....the bat! 
Peace my readers.....
Till my next posting...
Jac