Manado offers a cornucopia of tasty delights<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini and Jongker Rumteh, Manado, North Sulawesi<\/p>\n
No one would ever associate Manado with the word \"sleepy\", and
\ncome Saturday night, the already lively provincial capital seemed
\nto light up even more as people from faraway towns began to fill
\nthe city square and spill out onto the streets.<\/p>\n
As night descended, public minivans overflowing with
\npassengers jammed Jl. Piere Tendean, famously known as \"the
\nboulevard\", their stereos blasting rock music.<\/p>\n
The carousing and occasional fistfights may unnerve first-time
\nvisitors to the city, but it is this Saturday-night merrymaking
\nthat portrays fun-loving nature of the Manadonese.<\/p>\n
Their love of food and the delicious traditional dishes they
\nserve in their homes and restaurants also define the Manadonese
\n\"good life\".<\/p>\n
Adventurous travelers may sample Manado's more exotic
\ndelicacies, such as paniki, or fruit bat, dog and field rat
\ndishes. And because it is a majority Christian area, there are
\npork dishes galore.<\/p>\n
Other kinds of food are, of course, also available for those
\nless adventurous, such as myself.<\/p>\n
No morning is complete for a typical Manadonese without the
\nsmokol, a mid-morning meal that usually consists of bubur Manado,
\na Manado-style rice porridge -- locally called tinutuan --
\nbasically rice porridge cooked with kangkung, or water spinach,
\npumpkin and corn.<\/p>\n
Popular tinutuan joints abound on Jl. Wakeke, where civil
\nservants spend their early morning break on weekdays and families
\nenjoy their smokol on weekends.<\/p>\n
The vendors sell the porridge straight from their front yards,
\nas well as bananas fried in batter, boiled corn, fried skipjack
\ntuna and fried tofu as accompaniments. Don't be surprised if you
\nsee someone mixing all four into their bubur Manado!<\/p>\n
In addition, no decent Manadonese would go a meal without
\ndabu-dabu, the local chili sauce -- and the spicier, the better.
\nUnlike the sweet chili sambal of Java, the Manadonese dabu-dabu
\nhas a fresh tang to it, perfect for fish dishes.<\/p>\n
Two types of dabu-dabu is usually prepared: the dabu-dabu iris
\nof chopped up red and green chilies, shallots and small tomatoes
\nmixed with lime juice, salt and coconut oil, and the dabu-dabu
\ngoreng, which contains the same ingredients crushed to a pulp and
\nsauteed in coconut oil.<\/p>\n
Located close to both the sea and the freshwater lake Tondano,
\nManado's fish dishes are mouthwatering feasts. Freshwater carp
\nand gourami are either fried or grilled with rica-rica, a fiery
\nManadonese salsa with green cherry tomatoes, green peppers and
\nshallots.<\/p>\n
Most eateries in Manado offer assorted freshwater fish dishes,
\nbut the best places to go are the floating restaurants on the
\nbanks of Tondano Lake. The freshest seafood are on offer at
\nrestaurants along Malalayang, on the road to Tasik Ria Beach,
\nwhich also offer a scenic view of Manado Bay.<\/p>\n
Nasi Kuning Seroja, Seroja yellow rice, available in Kodo
\nkampong on Jl. Diponegoro, stands testimony to the Arabic
\ninfluence in the area. Sold in small shops with no parking space,
\nthe eateries are never short of customers.<\/p>\n
Food is served without fuss: Every customer is immediately
\nserved a plate of yellow savory rice with boiled egg, fried
\nstring potatoes, spicy diced potato, abon -- shredded meat -- and
\ndiced meat. Water jugs are placed on each table, with plastic
\nglasses to go around.<\/p>\n
\"The food stays fresh for a long time, so people from Jakarta
\nusually take doggie-bags for their trip home,\" the owner said.<\/p>\n
Also practical as souvenirs for friends and colleagues are
\nlocal snacks such as bagea, a type of cookie made from sago, palm
\nsugar, coconut milk and canari nuts, candied nutmeg and kacang
\ngoyang, or sugar-coated peanuts.<\/p>\n
While you are there, don't forget to sample Manado's famous
\nklappertaart, the sweet, creamy coconut tart that is a legacy of
\nthe Dutch and perfect for warding off Manado's afternoon heat.<\/p>",
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