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The man who introduced Wonogiri chicken noodles to the rest of Indonesia
Vendors pushing wooden carts and selling Wonogiri chicken noodles have become a common sight in Indonesia. Their stories begin with one man.
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Delicious: A street vendor serves bowls of Wonogiri chicken noodle soup from his cart in Citayam, Bogor. (JP/Andaris Dikarina)
R
atiman first arrived in Jakarta in 1963. It was President Sukarno's final years in power, and slums and poverty quickly became a familiar scene for the then-22-year-old.
Still, the city promised a better future for Ratiman. He left behind his home, Tunggulrejo in Wonogiri, Central Java, the mountainous landscape of which caused endless droughts and resulted in a monoculture dominated by cassava. Working on cassava fields for the rest of his adult life was something Ratiman dreaded, and he saw Jakarta as a way out.
Once in the capital city, Ratiman spent almost a decade working any odd jobs he could find, before landing his first steady job, that of a noodle maker in a factory owned by a Chinese-Indonesian businessman. The factory was located on Jl. Belustru at Pasar Market in central Jakarta. The market was the country’s largest at the time.
With his newfound noodle-crafting skills, Ratiman began selling his own chicken noodles during his off hours. These noodles were made Wonogiri style, which is now arguably the most common type of “chicken noodle” in Indonesia. It uses plenty of white and fried onion and garlic, pieces of chicken and chicken skin, and seasoning made from elements of ginger, coriander and turmeric – among other ingredients.
Ratiman wandered around the market area and beyond, pushing his wheeled wooden cart, trudging through the muddy fields north of Glodok, West Jakarta. His boss didn’t mind, since Ratiman proved himself to be one of the strongest workers at the factory. He was working his way up.
The boss’ wife
When his boss passed away, Ratiman was kept on board by the boss’ wife and played an increasingly key role in the factory. As he became more involved in the business, he married his deceased boss's wife. This ostensibly made him the factory’s new head.
