Obin makes traditional treats fashionable

Obin makes traditional treats fashionable

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Obin -- famous in her creation of exquisite textiles -- keeps
family tradition alive at her boutique at Jl. Teluk Betung No.
10, Central Jakarta by serving traditional treats to visiting
friends and clients.

Her living room is filled with the heady, traditional scent
of exotic flowers. Once seated around an old marble-topped table,
her staff serve refreshing ice lemon tea and invite guests to try
several types of old-fashioned sweets and snacks already on the
table.

For some guests, these small yet heart-warming details make
their visit to her boutique pleasurable, even reviving past
memories.

Budi Supriadi one of her staff said that several kinds of
tempo doeloe (days of yore) light and popular Indonesian,
Peranakan, or Chinese snacks, are always provided as a simple way
to welcome guests. And Obin alternates the selection every other
day.

On one day, she may provide san cha (Chinese coin-shaped
sweets), three kinds of Chinese preserved sweets, namely lemon,
plum and ginger and enting-enting gepuk (a traditional sweet
peanut treat). On the next day, manisan buah (a mix of sweet and
sour fruits like cereme, kedongdong, manggo and papaya) or kuaci
(dried sunflower seeds), brem (a fermented snack), kue pepe
(glutinous rice cake), kue clorot (traditional snack wrapped in a
leaf) or pudding hun kwe (sweet layered snack).

Each of the snacks is served in an antiquated glass container,
that curiously seems to be chosen to match the food (but
according to Obin is not). She also uses a tenong (traditional
container for food made of bamboo) as an interesting tissue box.

"We serve those snacks and sweets everyday for every guest to
enjoy. What we serve is what we usually eat too. They are the
family's favorite," Budi said.

Obin has enjoyed such treats since she was a child. "Unlike
many people who have turned to modern food and snacks, I still
eat what I did when I was little," she said.

Besides reminding people of their past, the treats represent
her fondness for family tradition. This is a special quality
which fashion designer Robby Tumewu calls inspiring.

"There is nothing special about them, actually. Most of the
treats are still available in stores or markets and I think
people just overlook them, or their desire for light treats has
changed. This is why they are slowly losing their popularity...
before they finally die out," Obin said.

Often, her clients -- after visiting her boutique to get the
cloths or garments they ordered -- leave with a small plastic bag
filled with some of the treats from the table.

"At first they were surprised and said 'Hey! these used to be
my favorite sweets when I was little and they took a handful of
each, for themselves and for their children at home," she
laughed.

Although some of the old fashioned treats can be easily
obtained at supermarkets, Obin said she often does her snack
shopping at Glodok or Mayestic markets. "Gue kan anak Jakarta
(I'm a Jakartan)," she said proudly, while adding that she also
knows where to find the best tasting dishes in the capital.

She also likes to buy traditional delicacies, like es jali-
jali (ice cream) or kembang tahu (soy bean pudding with gingery
brown sugar sauce), sold in push carts by small vendors in the
neighborhood, whose presence is indicated by the specific sound
they make.

But some of the old fashioned food is also prepared based on
family recipes she got from her mother, who inherited them from
her grandmother.

"Oh yes, we still prepare such food. It's a family tradition,
there is nothing to change. That is why the tradition is still
alive in my family. But when I serve it to others, people may
think such dishes are special because they can not even remember
the last time they eat them."

For her, what makes something special is not what she does but
how she does it. "I am what I am. I don't want to change and this
is not a movement to preserve old fashioned dishes," she said.

Obin realizes that the capital has also evolved into a sort of
culinary center -- where various food from around the world can
be easily found -- providing more options for residents, besides
local dishes.

"I guess it also depends on the location. If I lived in a
kampong, the food that I eat would not be considered special,"
she said.