Jl. Kramat Raya offers more than just dates<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
There is nothing like the fasting month to make Muslims so
\nenthusiastic about food. Suddenly, they are in a frenzy over what
\nto eat for the breaking of the fast, and the sahur meal before
\ndaybreak, the takjil snacks eaten to break the fast and even the
\nmain meal can be a topic of conversation.<\/p>\n
Hotels offer special menus for Muslims during Ramadhan and
\nrestaurants give free snacks for those who come in between 6 p.m.
\nand 7 p.m. -- usually dates, es cincau (shaved ice drink with
\nblack jelly), or hot kolak (a drink of cassava and bananas stewed
\nin coconut milk and sugar) -- while friends, families and even
\ncompanies organize breaking of the fast gatherings.<\/p>\n
"How about a sahur gathering for a change," a friend joked.
\nSahur meals are eaten between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.<\/p>\n
It is only during Ramadhan that sweet dates bought by the kilo
\n-- an instant boost of energy just after the dusk call for
\nmaghrib prayers, which signals the end of the day's fast.
\nSimilarly, restaurants and food stalls are stocked to the maximum
\ncapacity of their pantries, and even bottled water sellers make a
\nkilling selling to Muslims stuck in traffic.<\/p>\n
"I was stuck in traffic and had to break my fast with only
\nbottled water -- they hiked up the price but what can I do? I
\nhave to break my fast with something," said Vita, who works at a
\nprivate firm.<\/p>\n
Other food vendors cashing in on the opportunity are located
\non Jl. Kramat Raya that runs along the length of the Senen
\nflyover.<\/p>\n
Specializing in spicy West Sumatran food, popularly known as
\nPadang food, vendors sell their wares from sundown to sunup.<\/p>\n
They set up their stalls on the sidewalks with a variety of
\ndishes displayed atop their carts, and customers eat at makeshift
\ntables and benches.<\/p>\n
Each of the stalls vie for hungry customers, and friendly
\ncalls to come visit their stall and helpful hints on their
\nspecialties can be heard.<\/p>\n
Grilled chicken with spicy Padang seasoning are suspended from
\nthe beams of the stalls, ready to be re-grilled to order, while
\nlarge tubs of rendang (meat simmered in spices and coconut milk),
\nand gulai kepala kakap merah (curried head of mangrove red
\nsnapper) stand at the ready to entice customers.<\/p>\n
Other delicacies on offer include curried cow's brains, chili-
\nfried prawns, curried beef hock and fried cow's lungs.<\/p>\n
They may not sound so delectable in English, but take my word
\nfor it -- they are mouthwatering.<\/p>\n
The owner of one of the stalls said she began cooking as soon
\nas she returned from market early in the morning.<\/p>\n
"I took over the business from my mother, so this is a family
\nbusiness," said the woman from Solok, West Sumatra, as she took
\nan order from a family with two small children.<\/p>\n
"I don't often come here with the family, but it is convenient
\nas an alternative, and my wife can also buy food for sahur here,"
\nsaid the head of the family, Bambang.<\/p>\n
My dinner of rice, curried cow's brain, rempeyek udang (shrimp
\ncracker), and a glass of hot sweet tea came to Rp 12,000
\n(US$1.43).<\/p>\n
Besides the heavy spiced fare of West Sumatra, sellers of
\nsnacks and cakes are also resident along Jl. Kramat Raya.<\/p>\n
Ibu War has been selling cakes and snacks there for about 10
\nyears, and although she comes from Cepu, Central Java, she sells
\nsanjai crackers from Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.<\/p>\n
"I saw that snacks are popular with customers here, so I
\nstarted selling them," she said. On a typical day, she sells
\nlemang (glutinous rice roasted in bamboo), tape ketan hitam
\n(fermented black sticky rice) and a few types of cakes.<\/p>\n
During the fasting month though, Ibu War goes all out, selling
\ncrackers and colorful cakes such as bugis cake, talam srikaya
\n(glutinous rice cake with sweetsop paste), talam ubi (glutinous
\nrice cake with cassava paste), dadar gulung (rolled pancake
\nfilled with sweet coconut shavings), kolak and lemper (sticky
\nrice cake with chicken filling).<\/p>\n
Her earnings for the fasting month is double that of her
\nnormal days, Ibu War said, despite competition from seasonal
\nvendors.<\/p>\n
For Rp 500 ($0.6) each, I brought home Rp 16,000 worth of
\ncakes for the next day's takjil -- a veritable feast!<\/p>",
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