Betawi cuisine, arts make comeback<\/p>\n
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Si Pitoeng, the legendary Robin Hood of the Betawi (native
\nJakartan) people, may twirl the tip of his famous bushy moustache
\nin satisfaction to know that his story is being retold to the
\npresent generation through puppets.<\/p>\n
The Wayang Lenong Betawi (wooden puppet telling folk tales)
\nwas established when puppeteer Tizar Purbaya found himself with
\ndozens of puppets that were ordered but never picked up by
\nforeigners who fled Indonesia after the riots in May 1998.<\/p>\n
\"The Betawi did not have their own wayang,\" said Tizar on
\nWednesday, adding that Betawi's wayang golek (wooden puppet) was
\ninfluenced heavily by the Sundanese people of West Java.<\/p>\n
Many of the traditional cultural performances of the Betawi,
\nunfortunately, have not had much success in this generation.
\nTraditional folk music has been abandoned for dangdut and MTV-
\nstyle pop music. Betawi food has been replaced by the likes of
\nfrench fries and pizza.<\/p>\n
The Jalansutra club and the Sahabat Museum society are two
\ninformal communities of people who delight in traditional dishes
\nand culture heritage, respectively. Those two groups have been
\nthe driving force behind the organization of the \"Heritage Food
\nin Heritage City 2004\" event to revive interest in Betawi culture
\nand food.<\/p>\n
The event, which combines traditional food and art
\nperformances, will be held on Aug. 29 at the National Archives
\nbuilding on Jl. Gajah Mada in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We want to show that many ethnic groups, like the Chinese,
\nIndians, Dutch, Arabs and Portuguese, were key influences of
\nBetawi culture,\" said committee chairperson Ade Purnama at a
\npress conference on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The dishes to be presented include nasi ulam (rice with fried
\nbihun -- thin rice noodles from China -- and peanuts covered with
\nsoup), and nasi kebuli (Arabic style fried rice and spiced with
\ncardamom, cinnamon and caraway seed). Bir pletok (a ginger drink
\nwith palm sugar, cinnamon and Brazil wood) and es selendang
\nmayang (red and green gelatin from mung bean flour in a mixture
\nof ice, sugar and coconut milk) is among the many beverages at
\nthe fiesta.<\/p>\n
\"We'll have a lot of foods that are difficult to find,\" said
\nArie Parikesit, the organizer of the event. \"For example, there
\nare only three places in Jakarta where one can find es selendang
\nmayang,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Culinary expert Bondan Winarno, who started the Jalansutra
\nclub, said that food heritage was disappearing because of lack of
\nattention to it.<\/p>\n
He said he hoped that Jakartans would eat more traditional
\nfood. \"The vendors have to have a financial incentive to selling
\nthe dishes,\" said Bondan.<\/p>\n
Jalansutra members were encouraged to find such vendors, buy
\ntheir local food and document them. \"Who knows how many (kinds)
\nof food that have become extinct. There are no records of them,\"
\nBondan added.<\/p>\n
The committee said that it would try to display rare fruits,
\nsuch as menteng, gandaria or kemang, the inspiration for several
\narea names in the capital.<\/p>\n
Cultural performances will include the ondel-ondel and
\ntanjidor, gambang kromong, Chinese barongsai and liong, Indian
\ntabla, wayang lenong betawi, and Gusrak -- a band which
\nspecializes in songs by Benyamin S., a legendary actor and
\nsinger.<\/p>\n
Entrance fees are Rp 30,000 (US$3.23) each for the whole day
\n-- from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/betawi-cuisine-arts-make-comeback-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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