Chili commotion clobbers country<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Any one who thinks red chilies are just a spice
\nmust have missed the media screaming about the soaring price of
\nthe little things. It was the talk of the country last week.<\/p>\n
I didn't know and had never bothered to ask the price of red
\nchilies before. All I cared was that the hot stuff was on the
\ntable to spice my favorite dish.<\/p>\n
My indifference turned into concern when the guys at the top
\nstarted talking about the price. I couldn't believe that a
\nkilogram of red chilies could set me back as much as Rp 14,000
\n(US$6).<\/p>\n
Just like cement, the escalating price of red chilies soon
\nignited controversy. Accusations were flung at distributors. They
\nwere accused of stocking up in anticipation of the coming Idul
\nFitri holiday. The distributors blamed the farmers for not
\nadjusting their harvests to meet increased demand during the
\nfasting month. The farmers then blamed the rain that caused the
\nfloods that caused their crops to fail.<\/p>\n
The head of the National Logistics Agency blamed them all, and
\nlaunched a market control program by dumping red chilies at low
\nprices and threatening to import chilies if the price stayed
\nhigh.<\/p>\n
The market operation, according to television news, resulted
\nin a sharp price decline.<\/p>\n
At the market, however, the price stayed high. Housewives have
\nfull-out arguments with vendors, claiming they should get the
\nprice announced on TV. But of course the vendors insist on
\nselling at their own price.<\/p>\n
Vendors inevitably end the argument with: "Then buy it at the
\nTV station!"<\/p>\n
The chili commotion struck my home. My wife, instead of going
\nto a supermarket, went to a traditional market at Kebayoran Lama
\nwhere she got a 60 percent discount on ground red chilies.<\/p>\n
"The secret of buying red chilies at a reasonable price is
\nbeing at the right place at the right time," she bragged. "I went
\nto the market late in the afternoon. At this time, vendors are
\nready to go home and they usually sell at a generous discount."<\/p>\n
Things were great until I smelled something funny in the
\nkitchen.<\/p>\n
"Just what are you cooking?" I demanded.<\/p>\n
My wife, beginning to smell the same thing, explained that she
\nwas cooking rendang (meat cooked in a special combination of
\nspices, mostly red chilies). The dish seemed to be the source of
\nthe smell.<\/p>\n
Further investigation unveiled that the ground red chilies my
\nwife had bought were mixed with grated carrot. The mixture looks
\nall right, but smells and tastes extraordinarily bad when heated.<\/p>\n
"What happened to the right time and the right place?" I
\njoked.<\/p>\n
My wife didn't answer. I knew she was still furious.<\/p>\n
"Now, let's look at the bright side," I said. "If you hadn't
\nbought the chili and carrot mixture, we wouldn't have known what
\ncarrot smells like when heated. Maybe we can invite RCTI to cover
\nthe incident."<\/p>\n
My joke was like a red rag in front of a bull.<\/p>\n
"If you can't say something good, then don't say nothing," she
\nretorted, mimicking Eddie Murphy and completing the series of
\ncliches we had banally bandied about for the last ten minutes.<\/p>\n
"I tried to save money by going through the hassle of the
\nmarket and what do I get? You and your stupid comments."<\/p>\n
"My god, what did I say?"<\/p>\n
"What haven't you said?" she snapped.<\/p>\n
That shut me up. The argument could have become fatal.<\/p>\n
I just can't stop thinking how something so simple can ferment
\ninto a national problem. First the scarcity of cement, then
\nfertilizer, and now chili. What next?<\/p>\n
Hopefully a scarcity of people who talk nonsense.<\/p>\n
-- Carl Chairul<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/chili-commotion-clobbers-country-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }