Tabac con Clavo - se llama "Kretek" :El Mejor Como Nunca!

Colder breeze comes - suggests a remark of weather change in one September afternoon. I can feel the fall coming, bringing couple degrees down on the thermometer. Afternoon walk is like a must, as living in real Eixample brought many new things to discover.
                                  
A cup of "cafe con leche- largo" on the table, while watching people as they climbs up the Metro stairs in El Clot - Barcelona:


"Perdona..."
"Perdona, senorita.."
I turned my head to a guy on my back. There were two guys - both with strange face staring curiously at me, with their cigarettes lit and estrellas on the table.
"El duele..., mmm, el tabac... duele...??"
Even with my -enough to live two year in Spain- spanish, I understood what he meant. I don't know what "duele" is, but "el tabac" and the gesture was enough for me. [later on after, my friend told me that I must have heard it wrong. It's suppose to be "huele" (smell) - not "duele" (hurt)]

Bali for Indonesia

Video presented on bidding for destination country

 FIABCI 61th World Congress 2010 

[thanks to Terrance Barkan for uploaded this to YouTube]

Video presented on bidding for destination country

 FIABCI 61th World Congress 2010 

FIABCI Business Meeting - Dubai 2009

Coco-pandan Muffins: Indonesia defined.

Home made Coco-pandan Muffins

An oven in the kitchen ~ suddenly makes me want to experiment baked stuff. So one afternoon... somehow I 'run' to a friend's room and told her, "Let's bake!". Long story made short, we have several baking experience - from my totally failure first attempt without sufficient tools 'found' in my room; until successful chocolate muffins [off course it's good - it's CHOCOLATE!]. But this time, a rather experimental-yet-sounds familiar taste for trial came to mind.
As usual, my weekend here in Barcelona starts with  weekly vegetable shopping - and as most of any other Asian people in the world, my Asian tongue demands me to do regular stop at an Asian store. With imported goods from all over Asian countries, this store sometimes surprise me with Indonesian local spices or other stuff like "tempe" or galangal. But this time... I found pandan! So, driven only by far-scent and taste of home in mind, I grabbed a pack of pandan leaves and went home.
Some dishes came to mind, from chicken in pandan leaves - to green beans with pandan sugar. Then, as I saw the flour and sugar in my kitchen shelf, I think - why not muffins? Coconut seems to work with pandan - so be it.

Di Sebuah Persimpangan Jalan

Terik matahari memaksa seorang pengamen berhenti mencari nafkah, sementara sebuah mobil mengikutsertakan diri ke dalam padatnya antrean panjang. Di keremangan setengah fatamorgana, tiang-tiang listrik mencuat seperti sedotan panjang di jajaran pudding caramel, lengket oleh debu dan panas seperti potongan kabel sehabis korslet. Warna-warna memeriahkan tepi jalan yang dipadati reklame, jenuh oleh konvensionalitas berlebihan yang menawarkan efisiensi. Padat udara menyematkan aroma kakus dari gorong-gorong; di ujung sana seorang pemuda tak bercelana mungkin sedang menyembuhkan sakit perutnya, atau pipa-pipa pembuangan yang mencuat tanpa saluran memuntahkan alirannya. Ia mengamati dari samping etalase sebuah toko, dengan tangan kiri di bawah lembaran tebal dan tangan kanan yang menari dengan pensil karbon di atasnya.


Bandung, Januari 2007

My Favorite Indonesian Coffee

Pagi berawan; dengan matahari tertutup kabut tipis dan embun berjatuhan di atas daun-daun kecil rumput gajah di pekarangan rumah:

Kopi padang grind halus, diseduh dari saringan; di atas 1 sendok teh brown sugar yang ditaruh dalam cangkir 50ml. Seduhan pertama diaduk dengan batangan cinnamon segar, dan serbuk cardamon sebagai pewangi. Nikmatnya sempurna ditemani sekeping kue jahe non sugar.

Harumnya uap pertama seduhan seperti aroma pinus yang terkena embun dini hari, yang menumpahkan kisi-kisi rujung bijinya dengan mentah ke atas tanah. Aroma tanah basah di pagi hari memberi tekanan pada pekat rasa dan tiris manis gula kelapa.

Hirup wangi segar dan tegukan pertama yang tipis akan mengeluarkan sensasi rasa yang sempurna: Ujung pahit yang bebas dari rasa lanjutan, kejutan panas dari minyak di permukaan, sedikit rasa manis hangus dari gula kelapa yang disiram didihan kopi, ditambah tekstur bubuk yang tertinggal bebas dari saringan.