Malia still works at the age of 83

Malia still works at the age of 83

By Lenah Susianty

JAKARTA (JP): Being old can be a big problem for many people,
but not for Malia Soenario. At 83, she is still cooking at the
Oasis restaurant in Central Jakarta.

It's hard to imagine that a woman who first learned to clean
her house at the age of 50 is now preparing food for countless
people.

But the benefits are large. She remains healthy and far from
senile. Her tight schedule doesn't seem to tire the woman who
looks twenty years younger than her age. Every morning she leaves
her house in Tebet, South Jakarta, for the Oasis in a car driven
by her chauffeur. She spends three hours, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m.,
supervising cooking preparations in the restaurant's kitchen. She
then takes on another task between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., heading
the 12 waitresses serving the restaurant's special rijstafel
menu.

Rijstafel, or rice table in old Dutch, was known in
Indonesia's colonial days as nasi besar (literally big rice). It
is an array of mildly to strongly spiced Indonesian dishes,
including a soup or soto, and meat, shrimp, egg, vegetables and
dessert dishes. The menu is served by 12 waitresses in
traditional Sundanese garb kebaya, each bringing in a different
dish.

Malia attentively explains in fluent English or Dutch the
rijstafel food to the guests. Among her long list of guests are
President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary.

"Many guests like to be served by Ibu because she speaks
foreign languages fluently and they can chat with her," said
Broto Soetantyo, the restaurant's executive chef for Indonesian
food.

Malia's presence is also welcomed because she makes you feel
as if you are being served by your mother, Soetantyo added.

"Many of the Dutch guests ask me whether the Dutch were kind
to Indonesians during the colonial times," Malia Soenario told
The Jakarta Post between smiles.

The most common question is about her age. The Clintons asked
it too.

"Most of them didn't expect that I am already 83 years old.
So, they usually also ask my secret of staying fit. It is simple
actually: working hard and take cabe lempuyang (an Indonesian
herbal drink) twice a day in the morning and before going to
bed," Malia said, adding that once an American guest spent US$100
on cabe lempuyang after learning her secret of longevity.

Malia was born on Jan. 10, 1912 and was the first daughter of
a Sundanese noble family. Her father, R.A.A. Wiranata Koesoemah,
was the regent of Bandung at the turn of the century. Her father
later became Indonesia's first Minister of Domestic Affairs.

Malia never dreamt that the cooking lessons she obtained from
her mother, R. Suhamah A. Ganda Adi Negara, at the kabupaten
(regency) would become her means of living.

"There were dozens of cooks at our house at that time. My mom
and I liked cooking so we often spent the time together in the
kitchen. Besides, girls at that time had not many choices. They
had to stay at home, learning how to keep house and read the
Koran," Malia recalled.

"But, I did like cooking. Everyday after school at the Hoogere
Burger School (HBS) managed by a Catholic's Ursuline Order, I
changed my western skirt into kebaya as ordered by my parents,
then I helped my mom in the kitchen. My sister didn't like it, so
she played tennis instead," said the mother of four children,
grandmother of 16 and great-grandmother of 13.

Being a daughter of a prominent family allowed Malia to
understand not only Indonesian but also European food. It was
natural considering that her father had to entertain European as
well as Indonesian guests.

After joining the Oasis in 1979, Malia was entrusted with
perfecting the restaurant's rijstafel because she had been
familiar with it since childhood.

Tradition

It was a tradition in Malia's father's regency for chiefs
congregate with their ingredients and their cooks. Together, they
prepared and served the food in the regent's pendopo, an open
hall which served as a function room. Each one proudly presented
his dish.

"It was the origin of what the Dutch later called rijstafel or
rice on the table because we put all the dishes on a big table,"
Malia explained.

The Indonesian high ranking guests would eat in a room called
the Arab room because it was designed in an Arabian style. Those
of higher rank sat on chairs while the others sat on the floor.

If there were any Dutch guests they were usually served by
girls, said Malia.

During the Japanese occupation, Malia was often asked by
Japanese officers to cook for them or to give free cooking
lessons to people. The lessons included tips on how to make use
of available leaves and also snails as food during the time of
shortage.

"I was asked to give the lessons because I was the oldest
daughter of the regent and I knew how to cook," Malia said.

At 17, Malia was introduced to R. Soenario, who later became
her husband of 37 years. The couple moved to Jakarta where her
husband worked as police commissioner. In the capital Malia again
found that her cooking experience could be very useful. At that
time there were no five-star hotels or restaurants in Jakarta, so
Malia started her first career in the food business by cooking
for the American, Dutch, Belgian, New Zealand and Australian
embassies in Jakarta. Later, Malia expanded her business by
catering for the police, the Armed Forces and big foreign
offices.

Her husband died Malia was offered work at the Indonesian
embassy in Washington, D.C., where she was in charge of the
entertainment and supervised the household.

"It was in Washington,D.C. that I learned a lot of things I
had never done before, such as driving a car, washing the dishes,
cleaning crystal, mopping the floor, going around on foot and
riding on a public bus," Malia recalled.

Her life in the regency did not give her any chance to do such
simple things since servants were always around.

In 1972 she returned to Jakarta. Seven years later she joined
Oasis.

"At first, my friends kept asking me why I was willing to work
as a cook in a restaurant. People here have yet to appreciate the
job. But, later, they envy my luck of having the chance to meet
the VIPs here in the restaurant," said Malia, who gave cooking
lessons to members of the Women's International Club in Jakarta
for 30 years.

With the former general manager of the Oasis, Malia started to
perfect the rijstafel menu and to adjust it to the international
palates of the guests. It is also Malia who teaches Oasis's
waitresses how to serve, to dress in the kebaya elegantly and
also etiquette.

"I teach them some basic physical exercises as well so that
they can move beautifully," said Malia.

Offers to work abroad have never ceased to come her way. A
Japanese offered her to work in Japan once, but she refused,
saying that her current job is satisfying.

"If you do something willingly, nothing can displease you.
And, now, I like my job, there is no pressure in it. I'll be
working until I can't do it anymore," Malia said.

Today, she works day and night. There is no time to feel
lonely. Her only entertainment is her family or reading magazines
(without glasses!) like her favorite Reader's Digest.