The Pleasure Of Mini Rice Tables

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What a diff’rence a day makes
Twenty-four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain
~Dinah Washington

I seem to be in some kind of vacuum after my visit to the Lowlands, it’s a good one. I guess seeing my friends again, catching up on their lives, left me with a very positive attitude and hopefully it will stay like that for a while. I’m much happier and I feel a lot better in general. It was extremely good to see them and even though I came back to the UK totally knackered and with a cold, that week will be something to treasure. I miss the Dutch rain and riding my bike already…

I have to work on my CV again today and finalise it. I showed it to a few people to get some feedback, MvdM. made some really useful comments, something I hadn’t thought off so I have to change a few things. It won’t be that much work but since I found the perfect layout I probably end up swapping around sentences and words to keep it like that. He has worked for recruitment agencies in the past so his knowledge comes in quite handy! He promised me to have a look at it when I’m done so I can send it out asap, sweet isn’t it? I found a really cool job last week so hopefully it will still be there when I’ve finished the corrections.

We went to Lakeside yesterday morning because we had to look for a present for M. who will turn 40 next week. We will be going there [New Forest] and stay at a B&B. She has invited a crowd to her party, I’m looking forward to seeing her, S. and the girls again! I was invited to a BBQ party yesterday, AS.’s friends, but I didn’t feel like it, I couldn’t be bothered to go. So I bought some groceries for dinner; MvdM. invited me over and I promised to cook an Indonesian meal for him and W. later that day. We had to be back at 12.00 because AS. had to work from home, working on a cluster of servers for the bank. He took me over to MvdM. and W.’s place around 18.15 in between jobs.

MvdM. and I started cooking around 20.00, I gave him the traditional Indonesian recipe for peanut sauce [sateh sauce], it was his first time but he did an excellent job; it was a delicious sauce with the right structure and well-balanced flavours. Thumbs up for him! I had prepared and marinated sateh ayam and serundeng [fried coconut with spices and fried onion, used to sprinkle over a dish] at home. I prepared sayur asem, a sidedish of spicy green beans. The two of us prepared the main dish: Bami Goreng [Indonesian Stir Fried Noodles], kroepoek and a fried egg [sunny side up]. It was a feast!

I had a lovely evening and I was glad I made them dinner because it made me realise the fun of preparing Indonesian food the traditional way. I actually have missed it. It might sound odd but I never really felt like doing it because it’s so much work and I’ve done it too often on request of friends most of the time. So I ended up slaving in the kitchen for hours. This time it was much fun though, also because MvdM. helped me cook. It was a mixture of cooking, chatting, drinking wine and having a good time amongst the three of us. I’m happy I didn’t go to that BBQ party, this was much much much more fun!

I was home at 04.00 in the morning, and guess what: I behaved this time and was not drunk at all; not even tipsy… Thanks guys for a great evening!
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Next time I will make some yummy rempejeh too and who knows a ricetable some day in the future… I’m off to call my friend in Scotland… Later!

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Some Indonesian/Dutch history and an excellent explanation of a rice table:
The Indonesian cuisine is a rich and complex blend of many cultures. Chinese, Indian, Arab, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and British influences have influenced the development of the country’s present-day foods. Above all, the cooking of South East Asia has had a profound impact on the cuisine of the country. In the larger cities of the Indonesian Archipelago one can enjoy the chili peppers, peanut sauces and stewed curries of Thailand; the lemon grass and fish sauce of Vietnam; the intricate spice combinations of India and the endless foods which are a combination of these dishes. This culinary world of succulent delights reaches its epitome in the Rijsttafel – the crown jewel of the Indonesian kitchen.

The Dutch ruled Indonesia, once the richest agricultural region in the world for 320 years. The Moluccas, a part of the Indonesian archipelago, were the original Spice Islands, suppling the entire world with black pepper, nutmeg, mace and cloves. These centuries of Dutch rule left an indelible mark on the country’s cuisine.
They are responsible for the Rijsttafel (rice table) which originated with Dutch plantation owners who liked to sample selectively from Indonesian cuisine. It became a kind of tradition, and the Dutch because of their fondness for Rijsttafel, introduced it into the Netherlands. Today, in both Holland and Indonesia, the Rijsttafel is a real culinary pleasure.

Called a forerunner of the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, Rijsttafels, at times featuring more than a 100 dishes, are a great way to sample numerous Indonesian dishes in one meal.
From among the many dishes served are nasi kuning; loempia (egg rolls); sateh; perkedel (meatballs); sateh lilit; gado-gado; daging smoor (beef with soy sauce); babi ketjap (meat in soy sauce); kroepoek (shrimp toast), serundeng (fried coconut); roedjak manis (fruit in sweet sauce); and pisang goreng (fried banana); along with a number of sauces.

Rijsttafel is eaten by first placing a little of the hot rice in a soup bowl, then surrounding it with a little of the side dishes, as well as a small quantity of sambal on the edge of the plate to season the food. Each side dish has a special flavor of its own and, hence, one should not mix the side dishes with the rice because the fine taste of the side dishes will be lost.
© 2003 Habeeb Salloum
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Maid Of Honor

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It’s Wednesday and I’m still feeling tired and drained, I think I haven’t had enough sleep last week; going to bed late and getting up early. I have a cold since Monday, I’m trying to fight it: I don’t need another sinus infection right now, that would be bad timing, but I feel dizzy, I’ve got cotton balls in my head, a runny nose and I seem to fall asleep all day long so hopefully it won’t get any worse…

I was fine until Sunday evening at the airport; we were waiting to get on the plane, waiting in line like cattle in a confinement barn. And of course there was the usual delay, this time about half an hour. There was a strong draft right on the back of my head and there was no way to escape it: I knew I would catch a cold. So here I am fighting the invisible intruders with lots of sleep and rest. I basically fall asleep whenever I sit on the couch and watch some TV. I can’t keep my eyes open, weird isn’t it?
Anyway, I promised some people an update so here it is, from what I can remember still… ;)

Saturday:
Early start, CH. had to go to the hairdresser to have her make-up and hair done. G., a friend of CH. came over and started to decorate the front door. I got up, made coffee and wrote a post on here. I had about two hours to get ready and dressed. CH. would be back at 11.30 and I had to be ready by then because I had help her change into her wedding dress. We had tried it on yesterday and I had a serious struggle with the zipper of her bustiere [basque] I was afraid to pull it since it could break, but it went smooth and quick on Saturday, no problems at all. When she was ready I checked the dress and to my surprise I saw something white in between the two layers of fabric, it was quite big [about 12 cm] and made of thick paper… it turned out to be the price tag! The people of the store where she bought her dress forgot to remove it, plain neglect isn’t it?

The carriage came to collect the couple at 13.00 and off they went, to the park to have their photos taken. We were expected at the church which was about 10 minutes drive from CH.’s place. From here it’s all a blur… The ceremony was performed by a government-sanctioned secular officiant, and took about 45 minutes to an hour. She addressed to the maids of honor and told us the reasons why CH. and TH. had chosen us to be their witnesses. CH. had chosen me, TH. had chosen J. It was a bit emotional to me especially when I was told that I was responsible for bringing them together as a couple [which I did]. Also the fact that I had designed their wedding invitation was mentioned. After the ceremony, J. and I had to sign the marriage licence; two of them and the register. Then it was time for champagne…

There was a reception after half an hour and the wedding cake was cut; a delicious cake! I’ve been talking with ex colleagues, friends, CH.’s family, my ex boss and his wife, friends of CH. and some other people. We had to leave a bit earlier because we were expected at this B&B up north. It took us about 45 minutes to get there by car. The lady of the house had to tell us the usual stuff that’s been told when you’re staying at a B&B but it had to be done so by the time she was finished showing me around it was after 18.00 already and we still had to change and get ready. We were supposed to be at the pub at 18.00 for dinner… It didn’t take long to get there though, CH. and TH. were late too, unfortunately their black cab broke down on the highway… We had dinner with 24 other guests, it was a great meal, I had all the food that I couldn’t have or didn’t have in the UK. *mmmmmmmmmm*

The party started after dinner till early in the morning and I had a great time dancing and making a total fool of myself [just like everyone else!]. It was a typical ‘Amsterdam’ party/reception with the type of music you can hear in the Dutch pubs; Dutch artists and Dutch songs. Hilarious! Although I didn’t know the lyrics so I couldn’t sing along like all the other people, I still had fun… We took a friend J. home to her B&B; she had no clue who she was, where she was or if she was being abducted by aliens, although she did kiss me goodnight at the front door, she must have recognised me all of a sudden… We walked home to our own B&B where I crashed completely as soon as I put my head on the pillow.

Sunday:
Got up at 08.30 and was ready for breakfast at 09.00. Ready… just not awake yet. Breakfast was lovely and I had some of my favourite Dutch things again like: beschuit and komijne- or Leidschekaas and ontbijtkoek [An Ontbijtkoek is a Dutch spiced cake. Rye is its most important ingredient, coloring the cake a lightish brown. It is often spiced with cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and is occasionally served on a slice of bread. Mostly however, this “breakfast cake” is used in the morning with a little butter on top of a slice]. After breakfast I had to reorganise my suitcase; I had to give some stuff to AS. because my case was probably too full and too heavy.

We left about half an hour later and drove back to Amsterdam to meet up with DM. where we spent most of the afternoon. We also went for a walk in the forest [Amsterdams Bos] before we drove to Schiphol Airport. We wanted to be there early because of the bombs that were found in London and the one in Glasgow [security checks at Schiphol]. We arrived in the UK at 22.30 and got the train at 22.55, we came home around midnight. I was totally knackered!!! But it has been a great week!!!

Some pictures: