Visiting Indonesia: Lunch at a ‘warung’ in Bandung
When it comes to eating places, things are generally run ‘properly’ here in Singapore. I mean, the government even comes up with ‘gradings’ for the stalls’ cleanliness (the National Environment Agency reviews each of the stalls)
In Indonesia however, well … I must say it’s quite an ‘adventure’ when it comes to food and eating places there.
[But I guess that’s where it gets interesting!]
During our recent visit to Indonesia, we all went to Bandung with Wilson’s family. And one of the places we wanted to visit is ‘Kawah Putih’ (ie. The White Crater, a really beautiful lake up on a mountain).
But, it’s December and it’s the monsoon season. So, though we wished it didnt’, it DID rain heavily when we’re driving up.
AND, for some reasons, they were fixing the road (on that busy Saturday morning!) and the traffic was super slow.
We were all hungry by the time we’re even half way up, and since it’s not possible to see anything anyway due to the heavy rain and fog, we decided to just get something to eat while we’re there.
And so we all ate at a ‘Warung’ (there were like, ten of different ones next to each other there)
Now, just in case you’re not familiar with what Warung is, here’s a quick definition from wikipedia:
A warung (old spelling waroeng) is a type of small family owned business — often a casual, usually outdoor restaurant — in Indonesia.
I won’t quite call it a ‘restaurant’ though. It’s basically a really humble and simple eating place, generally found on a street side.
I can’t remember the last time I actually sat and ate in a warung. Usually when we’re in Indonesia, we go and eat out at food courts or restaurants (from simple to fancy ones).
So, to actually sit and eat in one while we’re there recently (a relatively spacious one too!), it was a totally new experience especially for the kids!
The roof was leaking. We sat on a wooden plank. No cement flooring, just … damp soil. And we simply needed to ‘extend’ our arms out and wash our hands ‘in the rain’ outside, haha.
[Btw, they say, it’s better to NOT look at how the food is prepared there, hehe … but hey, the satays were really nice! I just hope they’re real ‘chicken’ though, haha]
Anyway.
It’s something that we can’t find here in Singapore and it’s exactly the kind of simplicity I want the kids to see and experience!
It was good.
And you know what.
We wouldn’t have ended up eating there, if it hadn’t rained.
So, no, we didn’t get to see the beautiful White Crater, but we had a different kind of experience instead.
And I have the rain to thank for it.
[Just in case you’re wondering, no … none of us got a stomach ache during our recent trip to Indonesia *smile*]
