Guess What? Megawati Soekarnoputri

Guess What? Megawati Soekarnoputri

The hottest chili, the most delicious sago and the spiciest fish are some of the things chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party, Megawati Soekarnoputri, has discovered during her inter-island tours.

"I don't usually like ikan pepes (smoked fish), but you should try the stuff from Manado (North Sulawesi), yum!" she told her sister Sukmawati and other kin on Tuesday.

They were attending the 25th wedding anniversary of her brother Guntur Soekarnoputra and his wife Henny Emilia. Later Megawati insisted on her "right to eat".

She wouldn't budge when repeatedly called to attend a speech by a family member. She continued feasting on her Sayur lodeh (coconut-milk vegetable soup) with bamboo shoots.

Enjoying food where ever she is, her relatives agree, is one way she keeps fresh and fit. Another recipe is her sense of humor. "I like to laugh at people's behavior," the politician said.

"Even around the turmoil (the mysterious disappearance of her secretary general, Alex Litaay) when friends called me up to ask how I was coping with the stress, I asked `what stress?'" (anr)