Food So Far

I know we have some foodies out there following this thing so this post is a special one for you all. Honestly the food hasn't been even close to as wild and crazy as I was expecting. I don't know why I was expecting wild and crazy food, but I was, and I have kind of been let down. In general the food has been relatively bland and tame (more so in Indonesia than Malaysia.) That is not to say that the food has not been good it just has not been as interesting as I would have liked. Ryan and I will basically try anything that is labeled food and nothing here has really pushed us to the brink.

The staples of the diet here are noodles (mie) and rice (nasi). One of these, or both, is served with every meal. Some meals are just one of these fried (goreng) with a fried egg. Nasi goreng and mie goreng can be found on any street at any time of day and in whatever quantity you want. These simple dishes constitute an entire meal and run anywhere from $0.50 to $2.50 depending on what all is included such as fried chicken and what not.

The fruit has really been the shining star. In southern Sumatra, Ryan and I were both disappointed once again by a lack of variety and quality. When I think tropical, I think amazing fruit, and this just wasn't the case. After the first few weeks though, the fruit really started bringing its A-game. Several fruits we had never heard of made an appearance and instantly became favorites. The best of the best is the rambutan, followed closely by the nanka (sorry no picture). We have yet to have a good quality durian fruit. This fruit is said to be either immediately loved or immediately hated. Good quality durian is said to carry an extremely pungent odor which can be detected by everyone in the vicinity (it is outlawed at many hostels.) We bought a durian at the supermarket and gave it a try but didn't love it or hate it so we knew something was up. Our very animated hotel staff informed us that the durian we had was not good quality. We ended up giving it to them and going back to our room. On our way out of the hotel the durian husk was empty in the trashcan. Apparently it was good enough quality for them to scarf down.

Anyway descriptions of food are really nothing without photos so ill stop blabbering and let you take a look.


Food stall.


Goup.


Indiscriminate soupy dish.



The classic nasi goreng.


Rice dish with some chicken and veggies


Naan, which is kind of like pita bread, with some curry dipping sauces.


Market in Bukittinggi.


Inside the market in Bukkittinggi.


Mounds of chilies in the market in Bukkittinggi. They liked the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Zing!


"The best guacamole in Bukittingi" It was pretty legit.


"Pizza" In Bukittinggi. Not the real sauce. Just not the real stuff.


Pizza Hut. By the time I got the camera out this was all that was left.


Some sate on the beach in Padang. Meat on a stick smothered in sauce.




Padang style cuisine. You get a huge plate of rice and they bring a variety of things in little bowls. If you don't touch them you don't pay for them. Everything you touch you pay for.


Mie goreng with shrimp and chicken. Not quite the classic mie goreng but close.


Yes thats a 7eleven slurpie to the right.


Calamari.


Coconut drink.


Potato on a stick. Random street food is delicious.


Mystery meat. Maybe chicken? I look awkward in the photo cause Ryan kept getting me to "lean in" haha.


The result of that shaved meat.


Washing down the biggest McDonalds order of our lives with two ice cream cones:
2 Large Big Mac meals.
4 Double Cheeseburgers.
Each.


Roasted chestnuts.



Martabak manis. Unbelievable dessert. Some sort of pancake style dough on the outside made into a taco filled with chocolate and nuts (I think).


Pancakes.


Old Man Jungle hydrating.


Jungle Juice. We have no idea what was brewing in this pot but it tasted pretty damn good after a long day of hiking.

Bananas the size of a thumb.

Oranges that dont turn orange.



Longan is a little fruit with a similar style to rambutan. An outside shell that you pop then a white flesh with a big seed in the middle.


We were surprised to see USA apples.



Salak.


Cacao.




Mangusteen.



The infamous Durian.



Dragon fruit. Somewhat like a kiwi in texture and taste.



Rambutan is a great great fruit and a personal favorite.


Just kidding. But seriously they had 'em.

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures. Taste is impossible to describe. Seriously try it. No seriously try describing taste to someone. So please no hate mail about lack of description.

If anyone knows of any dishes or fruits we need to try, please let us know.

-Kyle