Spicy Food? Badminton? Are you Indonesian?

Today, my supervisor has lunch with me for the first time, after having worked together for nine months, only to know that:

Not all Indonesian are able and/or like to eat spicy food
Not all Indonesian can play badminton

“Perhaps only people from your high school who can’t eat spicy food and play badminton,” he concluded.


“Noooooo…” his wife and I replied in unison. We both are alumni from the same high school, though many years apart. We both don’t eat spicy food AT ALL and can’t play badminton AT ALL.

“But you see, two out of two people from your high school that I know fall into that category. 100%.”

Yeah, I guess the aforementioned two items are very common assumptions about Indonesian. And Singaporeans used to think that (can’t really blame them though) all Indonesian-Chinese are (super) rich *faint*. So for those three points, I can consider myself as a very rare breed of Indonesian as I fall to neither category.

Apart from that, I am also a rare Asian species who don’t like rice. The grain which is taken as the main staple of Asian. The sticky things that Asian always look for and search high and low in western countries.

I can count how many times I eat ‘nasi lemak’ which is very popular in Singapore.

Some people even devise a term “Javanese stomach” which refers to those who can’t feel a meal is complete without rice.

Me, I think I am just being very fussy. Or choosy. Picky. I can only consider quantity when quality is present. Too bland, too spicy, too salty and too sweet can make me full at an instant. Sashimi, chocolate, ice cream, nice pasta, ribs, rosti, dim sum, and my other favorite food (mostly western) can turn my stomach to an abyss. Bottomless.

Despite my inclination towards Western food, I do miss some Indonesian food. Pete goreng!!! With salt and garlic ONLY. No other condiments, no other ingredients. Oh. My. God. With that, I will eat rice. Promise.

Can’t wait for that moment to come. Counting the days…