Something to Savor

Food, in all its variety, is one of my favorite subjects, and Indonesian eats are among my top choices. It’s not because I live in this country and so it is convenient, but because I truly enjoy the taste, whether it is a healthy Sundanese spread or a sinfully delicious Padang smorgasbord, still my all-time favorite.

Needless to say I relished this edition about Indonesian cuisine in particular and food in general. It has always confounded me that I’ve never found a truly tasty Indonesian meal outside of this country, even in neighboring Singapore. It just does not taste quite the same. I think it is the reason Indonesian dishes, like so much of Indonesian culture, remain among the world’s best kept secrets.

I am glad that Sri Owen, one of the foremost authorities on Indonesian food through her various books on the subject, contributed to this issue. I still have a dog-eared copy of her Indonesian Food and Cookery, first published 33 years ago, which I picked up at a second-hand bookstore in Jakarta. A longtime resident of England with her British husband, she is still writing and bringing the joys of her homeland’s culinary creations to a wider audience. I look forward to future contributions from Sri.

Hopefully, this month’s issue will be a feast in more ways than one, and provide fitting food for thought. 

Bruce Emond

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