Have food, will travel....

 

durian ice cream??

Even on sensory overload, one of the first things one notices after arriving in Indonesia are these tiny wheeled food stalls (called gerobaks) that dot literally every street and sidewalk in the city. These rolling food carts are about as Indonesian as it gets. Not only are they on every street, you'll see them rolling around in your neighborhood as well.

 

Basically, a gerobak is a wooden box on wheels which contains a hot stove for street cooking. Some even come complete with mini table and chairs that allow the customer to eat on the side of the road. This give a whole new meaning to “eating out.”

meatballs with noodles

green eggs, fer shur no ham

thin dough filled with egg/vegetable mixture

These rolling stalls sell food ultra cheap. People tell me that some of the food is really good, and that may be true. But we have also been warned by friends who have lived here to resist any temptation to eat at these tiny “meals on wheels". For one thing, there is no running water nearby for cleaning utensils and such. Also one has to wonder how the foods fare when kept outside for hours with no refrigeration. As of yet, neither of us has even been tempted because we have both have had enough GI issues as our systems have tried to adjust to being here. We have been as careful as possible with the water, and we have eaten out only a very few times. Still, we have both been “initiated” into eating in an underdeveloped country. And in all honesty, most of what I see in these carts hasn’t had any appeal to me anyway (martabak manis being the exception). However, several of the young Fulbright girls began eating off these carts soon after arriving and claimed that their stomachs have fared well.

frying dough to fill with egg/veggie mixture

Most of these snacks or meals from city hawkers are of a fried variety. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Indonesians do love their fried food! You will find these carts virtually everywhere you look, and especially in congested, high foot traffic areas such as around schools and universities. So if one really wants to experience a significant part of Indonesian culture, this is  probably on the  “must do” list.

translates "cow foot and whipped noodles"

literally translated means "beef noodle leg shake"

The fact that these street sellers also roam around in residential areas makes it even easier for locals to eat at any time, without even having to go out. All you need to do is wait for them to come by! Some of these have their own distinctive call or songs to announce their wares. For example, the bakso (meatball) seller will hit the side of a soup bowl, whereas mie ayam (chicken with noodles) is announced by hitting a wood block.

Pork is rarely eaten here since 95% of Indonesians are Muslim. Nasi goring (fried rice) and mie goring (fried noodles) are popular, as is bakso (really pale looking meatballs) and krupuk (all types of fried crisps/crackers – usually fish flavored).  There are many other popular street foods but at this point, I have no idea what most of them are. While some of the fruity ones might be tempting (if we didn't mind getting sick), most of the others are not at this point in time. But who knows, perhaps we will get a little more adventuresome as time goes on?