Indofoods!!!

Yeah...I've been pretty lazy updating this blog but I'll try to post more often. I'll most likely post about  foods or restaurants, at the request of two of my friends back in Everett. This time I'll post about one of my favorite "warung" (small restaurant), A Cong's (pronounced ah chong's).

(Front view of A Cong's)

 A Cong's is located not far from my current residence, which makes it an awesome place to go to when there are no food to eat at home.  They serve mainly simple Indonesian foods at a low price. Prices for drinks varies from Rp. 3500 - 7500 ( ~ 0.50 - 0.90 USD), while foods varies from Rp. 11000 - 35000 ( 1.25 - 4.00 USD). 

(Avocado shake & chicken fried rice)

(Rice noodle w/ chicken and meat balls)

Although the price is cheap, the serving size on the meatball soup or the rice porridge might be too small for some people (it is for me).  Which is why I usually order two-Rp. 11000 items, but the more expensive items like the fried rice or the kwetiaw is usually enough.  So at the time when I took these pictures I ordered 3 rice noodles, a fried rice and a cup of avocado juice for 3 people. The total came out to be around Rp. 80000 which is not bad at all considering it kept me full for the rest of the night.

At this moment I only have these pictures but they have a lot more on the menu. Things like rice porridge, kwetiaw, chicken, tilapia, water spinach and a few other things I can't seem to remember. Each of these items can be prepared in different ways depending on the customers' tastes. The next time I go to A Cong's I will order different items on the menu so I can post them here.

Change

So I've been in Indonesia for almost a week now and during that time I've gotten a chance to meet with family and visit places that I haven't seen in  15 years. While some things have changed drastically, some things (amazingly) stayed the same. For example  the house I'm currently staying in, a house that's been with the family since 1960, is more or less untouched save for three walls that has been knocked down to make more room.  A good number of the furniture and their placement stayed the same. 

As for changes, the most apparent would have to be Jakarta itself. Roads are much more narrow and more packed with vehicles and street merchants. The highways are often stuck in traffic. It took almost three hours to drive from the airport to the house, with the distance only being 50 km (~31 miles). I'm contemplating of getting a motorcycle or a scooter, so I can slip in-between cars instead of getting a sedan.

Now for some tidbits on my family. I was able to meet with most of my relatives from my mom's side of the family. Most of my uncles and aunts stayed the same with a couple being a bit heavier (or a lot lighter). As for cousins, I wasn't able to recognize seven of them at first glance (I met eight of the nine cousins). The same also holds true for them. Most of the older relatives were not able to recognize me and were surprised when they learned who I was.

Even if my lifestyle is drastically different here than it was in the US. I'm glad that I was able to meet with my relatives and have the chance to start a new chapter in my life.

I think I'll stop here for today. I need to sort my thoughts a bit more so I can write more effectively. For closing, take a look at this terrible picture of a very awesome statue near the Sukarno-Hatta International Airport. 

 

(Sukarno-Hatta Memorial Statue)

Farewell USA

I've officially left the US on my way to Indonesia. Currently sitting at a Vancouver airport until the next connecting flight to Hong Kong departing at 2:45 a.m. This is going to be a long and boring journey. I believe it'll take about 16 hours to get to HK.

Well, I just hope I make it there alive.