Guess What? Anggun C. Sasmi

JAKARTA (JP): Internationally acclaimed singer Anggun C. Sasmi seems to have decided that there is no place like home.

But in her case, after spending several years in Paris and making it big there with the hit Snow on the Sahara and her recent album Chrysalis, absence has apparently not made the heart grow fonder for her homeland.

In answer to the question "What is the wildest thing you ever did?" the 20-something native of Bandung told Singapore's Her World, "(it's) to live in Indonesia. That place just isn't me -- my life has changed and I'm never going back".

Still, a few of her other answers revealed that she is still an Indonesian girl at heart.

Asked about her biggest fantasy, Anggun begged off giving away her secret, because "we Indonesians don't usually talk about it " -- it's like making a silent wish as you blow out the candles on your birthday cake."

And she admitted that home cooking is what gets her taste-buds dancing.

In addition to Moroccan chicken, Anggun identified her favorite dishes as nasi Padang (the spicy fare of West Sumatra) and otak otak (a snack made of seafood steamed in banana leaves). So, to paraphrase her most recent hit, there are a few Indonesian specialities which still remind her of home. (brc)