A call to return to local cuisine<\/p>\n
Foreign food, which has hit the market in various parts of the
\ncountry, especially in big cities, has stolen people's hearts.
\nWith the ever increasing number of restaurants offering foreign
\nmeals, can local cuisine thrive? The Jakarta Post observes the
\nphenomenon in conjunction with World Food Day on Oct.16. More
\nstories on page 2.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A street singer approached a group of people
\ndining on local food at one of the street-side restaurants that
\nline Jl. Wijaya, near the Blok M bus terminal in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
To the accompaniment of an old guitar, the shabby-looking
\nyoung man sang a local song in a hoarse voice. Before long, the
\ncustomers, seemingly feeling their privacy was being disturbed,
\ngave him Rp 500. The singer then left for another table without
\nfinishing his song.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the Hard Rock Cafe on Jl. Sudirman, Central
\nJakarta, one of the city's most prominent foreign food outlets,
\nentertained its numerous customers with top foreign or local
\nsingers. There weren't any unfinished songs or harassment from
\nbegging singers.<\/p>\n
\"After three years of operation, we have reached the break-
\neven point and raked in Rp 5 billion (US2.2 million) in revenue
\nper year,\" commented Meuthia Kasim, Advertising & Promotion
\nManager of PT Hasta Rahayu Citra, franchisee of the Hard Rock
\nCafe in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
This is how the local and foreign food businesses differ from
\none another in this country. While the former are mainly stranded
\non the roadside or in places lacking modern amenities; the latter
\nget all the best: posh and comfortable places, middle and upper-
\nclass customers. And big money.<\/p>\n
The Hard Rock Cafe, which has opened a branch in Bali and
\nplans to open two more, in Surabaya and Bandung, is one of the
\ntens of food and drink foreign franchises operating in Indonesia.
\nOthers include MacDonald's, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, A&W Family
\nRestaurant, American Hamburger, Dunkin' Donuts, Kentucky Fried
\nChicken and Texas Fried Chicken. All of these are familiar names
\nin the big towns cross the country.<\/p>\n
In 1991 there were only six foreign franchises in the country.
\nWith annual growth of 43.3 percent, their number had grown to 84
\nby early 1995, 90 percent of which are in the food and drink
\nbusiness. The U.S. has 75 percent of the market, followed by
\nJapan (7 percent), Singapore (6 percent), France (5 percent), the
\nPhilippines and England (2 percent each).<\/p>\n
Observers say its part of a cultural trend. The invasion of
\nthe entire world by American culture is changing people's
\nlifestyles, particularly those of middle and upper classes.
\nAccessories of the new culture are the popular taste for cars,
\nWestern clothes, beverages and food.<\/p>\n
\"The lifestyle requires them to consume international food and
\ndrinks,\" said Darmanto Jatman, a lifestyles observer.<\/p>\n
Concerned about the trend, the government launched the \"I love
\nIndonesian Food\" campaign last year. Earlier, on World Food Day
\n1993, President Soeharto himself called on the people to return
\nto local cuisine. The President dismissed the shift toward
\nWestern food, such as hamburgers and hot dogs, as being only a
\nfad.<\/p>\n
A lot of experts have since joined in, praising Indonesian
\nfood as better than Western food. They said it is natural, fresh
\nand does not contain too much fat, which can lead to too high
\ncholesterol level and high blood pressure.<\/p>\n
\"In Indonesian traditional eating patterns, the use of fat is
\nonly 20 percent, while in Western food is 40 percent,\" said
\nnutritionist Tuti Sunardi.<\/p>\n
\"If we eat fast food once in a while, it's okay. But don't let
\nchildren who are under five -- who don't yet have a fixed
\nconsumption pattern -- get used to this kind of eating. Once they
\nare used to food with a high level of fat they will ask for more
\nand more,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Zoemrotin K. Susilo, who chairs the Indonesian Consumers'
\nFoundation, concurred: \"Fast food might be quite nutritious, but
\nthe problem is that people who eat it usually don't think about
\nbalancing what they eat. Usually they prefer to eat, for
\ninstance, fried chicken, which contains a high level of fat, and
\ndon't eat a salad because of its price.\"<\/p>\n
According to a 1993 survey by two researchers of the Bogor
\nAgricultural Institute, Hadi Riyadi and Faisal Anwar, 100 grams
\nof Japanese teriyaki, tempura or yakiniku, or Korean mandukuk,
\nsomyon or bulgogi has a cholesterol level ranging between 200 and
\n354 milligrams. Mexican Omelet contains 818 milligrams of
\ncholesterol per 100 grams.<\/p>\n
Fast foods which have relatively low cholesterol levels
\ninclude pizzas from Pizza Hut and burgers from MacDonald's and
\nBurger King.<\/p>\n
There are certainly many kinds of Indonesian food which are
\nrich in cholesterol, including pepes ikan mas (roasted carp fish
\nwrapped in banana leaf) and fried carp or gurami. Their
\ncholesterol level range from 103 to 142 milligrams per 100 grams.
\nBut even those are considerably lower than the fried chicken sold
\nat fast food outlets.<\/p>\n
Aside from lower cholesterol, Hadi and Faisal also found that
\nquite a number of Indonesian dishes are rich in elements believed
\nto have healing powers, including kunyit (saffron), said to have
\nantiseptic, anti-infection and anti-rheumatic qualities; and asam
\njawa (tamarind), said to be good for the urinary tract and to
\nboost immunity.<\/p>\n
However, people do not choose dishes only on the basis of
\ntheir nutritional or medicinal value. Restaurant hygiene and
\nambience are also considerations.<\/p>\n
\"How can I be tempted to go into a warung (street stall) if
\nthe owner doesn't use running water to wash the dishes?\" said
\nJeffri, 28, who works for an insurance company.<\/p>\n
Studies have revealed that over eight percent of food vendors
\nin Jakarta use toxic additives like Rhodamin and Methany Yellow
\nto color their merchandise.<\/p>\n
Also drawing wealthy customers away from the street are the
\nfood courts that have been opened in most major shopping malls,
\nsuch as Pasar Raya in Blok M, Sarinah on Jl. Thamrin, Gajah Mada
\nPlaza on Jl. Gajah Mada and Matahari Department Store in Pasar
\nBaru, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Some local entrepreneurs have also tapped the demand for
\nhygienic fast food, including Es Teler 77, which serves an ice-
\nbased confection and meatball noodle soup; Ayam Goreng Mbok Berek
\nand Ayam Goreng Suharti, which sell fried chicken; and Bakmi
\nGajah Mada and Bakmi Gang Kelinci, which sell noodles.<\/p>\n
Recently, some foreign franchises have lent a hand, especially
\nwith respect to technical and management skills.<\/p>\n
\"Many local restaurants are run by a one-man-show management.
\nThis does not allow them to develop properly,\" said Bambang
\nNoeryatno Rachmadi, managing director of PT Ramako Gerbang Mas,
\nfranchisee of McDonald's in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
To help these businesses, Bambang said, McDonald's has
\norganized special workshops for local restaurateurs designed to
\nimprove their technical and managerial skills.<\/p>\n
Since the national campaign for the consumption of local food
\nhas just begun, the results will not be apparent for a long time
\nto come. If it is successful, it will due in large part to what
\nDarmanto calls the \"global paradox\".<\/p>\n
People around the world are heading towards globalization. But
\nthey also feel a sense of alienation from themselves, causing
\nthem to seek their cultural roots, he says. This is particularly
\nlikely to happen in the case of rich people who, more than any
\nother social group, lack a bond to their culture, Darmanto says.
\nFaced with this feeling, people start to look upon traditional
\nfood as exotic.<\/p>\n
\"There is now a 'Back to Traditional Food and Drinks' trend.
\nI, for instance, served only traditional food at my silver
\nwedding anniversary,\" said Darmanto, adding that noted
\nintellectual Arief Budiman did likewise for his daughter's recent
\nwedding reception. (jsk\/als\/raw\/swa\/aks)<\/p>",
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