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Home in a warm bowl: How instant noodles unite Portugal’s Indonesian diaspora
When phone or video calls no longer soothe homesickness, Indonesians in Portugal turn to instant noodles for comfort and a sense of togetherness.
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Maritime meal: Indonesian fishermen in Portugal buy packs of instant noodles to bring along during their days or weeks at sea. (JP/Courtesy of Riyani Indriyati)
“They don’t make a lot, but they manage to help their family back home and even raise money to build mosques and donate to good causes.”
Dwiyanti Cavalero was teary-eyed as she told her story. The co-owner of Suasa, an Indonesian grocery store in Porto, Portugal – the only one on the Iberian Peninsula – shared stories of the Indonesian fishermen who often came to her store to purchase packs of instant noodles. They usually came on the weekends, before going to sea, to stock up on their favorite staple food for their voyage.
“Our bosses usually feed us boiled potatoes or macaroni, and that food does not suit our Indonesian stomachs well,” said Rizal Khadai, a 33-year-old fisherman from Bumiayu, Central Java, who came to Portugal to save up money to get married.
Rizal recalled how back home, he and his friends would order Indomie whenever they got together at a Warminkop (instant noodle and coffee stall). Rizal reminisced about how great conversation and companionship were always accompanied by a bowl of steamy, savory instant noodles.
“After I eat instant noodles, my desire to go home always lessens,” said Lukas, a father of one and a fisherman from Pemalang, Central Java. He said that unlike his wife back home, he lacked the creativity to add any additional toppings other than a fried egg and had to settle for plain, fried noodles.
