Chocolate mosque is feast for the eyes, not palate

By Monika Winarto

JAKARTA (JP): Chocoholics be warned. The delectable food has been carved into the shape of a mosque for this Ramadhan, and the model now graces the lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel in Central Jakarta.

Yes, its 2 meters by 2 meters are made entirely from chocolate. But for hygiene concerns alone, chocoholics among us should resist temptation to sample a piece -- already on show from Dec. 31, it will continue to be subject to prods, pokes and curious stares through the first day of next month.

Another reason to refrain is that it is made from a particular type of chocolate, colata, which is manufactured exclusively for use in carving displays and models.

And unless you have arteries of steel, a piece of it should not pass your lips -- milk used in most chocolate candy is replaced by pure coconut oil in colata.

"It dries quicker and is strong," commented one of the food and beverage artists, Herry Pujantoro, who was in charge of production and the making of the sculpture.

Plan engineer I Nyoman Sukarji said the hotel had a display every year to celebrate Ramadhan but he believed this was the best ever.

Simplicity of theme is the strength of the display.

In previous years, grand mosques, such as Jakarta's own Istiqlal, had been the models. But due to the recent economic slide, a return to fundamentals was selected as most fitting.

The mosque is of a common design that could be found anywhere; appropriately, it is put in a standard village setting of people and adjacent buildings.

Among the most difficult part of its production was the carving of human figures for the mosque tableau. These represent the faithful from all walks of life, allowing Moslem visitors to the hotel to recognize an important scene from their lives.

But the display is not only for their benefit. Foreign guests at the hotel have reportedly been delighted by the mosque and the level of artistic skill required in its making.

Six food and beverage artists worked on it for six weeks, juggling Christmas and New Year assignments. Yudi Nugraha, in charge of the 24 figurines, said it had been a valuable lesson.

"I suppose we are more experienced now than when we started and know how to handle our chocolate."

The chocolate comes in 4 centimeter thick bars, and the figurines are heavy. The mosque's domes were created by pouring melted chocolate on styrofoam. The foundation is made from thick white chocolate, with sprinkled green sugar on the top.

White chocolate is softer and easier to work with, the artists said. But they still chose to make the figurines with the colata.

These towers on either side of the main mosque building are lit with a low wattage light bulb, as is the inside of the building. The artists asked an engineer from Shangri-La to help them with the installation of these lights.

The light enhances the white shade and gives a soft, golden glow to the display. For a final effect, they applied glaze spray over the entire work to soften and shine its appearance.

The model was constructed in an air-conditioned room for fear of the chocolate melting. This is one of the reasons it is displayed in the cool front foyer of the hotel, facing the entrance door.

This also gives visitors a peak as soon as they arrive at the hotel.

The artists have cleverly built the display around a wooden pillar which separates the lounge area and the rest of the lobby.

The mosque was not set up as a one-off draw for more visitors to the hotel, according to the hotel's public relations officer, Romy Herlambang.

More important, she stressed, was to get into the spirit of Ramadhan through a simple gesture.

"It is the ambience that is important," she stressed repeatedly.