The Aroma Of Bengkulu Cuisine
(Firwood Was A Necessary Commodity For The Kitchen)
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| Smoky Haze |
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| Floated Gently |
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| Bengkulu Cuisine |
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| Rhythmic Message |
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| More Delicious |
Sometimes my elder brother and I had to
collect firewood from a rubber plantation. Only a hearing distance from my
backyard. Those were the days, when firewood was a necessary commodity for the
kitchen. No firewood meant no food to eat. Of course at noon, the smoky haze
from the kitchen floated gently. Sooner or later the aroma of burning firewood
and the aroma of Bengkulu cuisine filled the entire room. By then our stomachs
sent a rhythmic message to our ears. What a mouth-watering aroma. Indeed, the
food cooked by firewood was more delicious. Even sometimes as words of joke,
the old folks would say; "you are unaware when your father-in-law is
walking behind you". Meaning, how appetizing the meal was.
Even though the dish was just a bowl of rice, a slice of small fish and a plate of vegetables, nevertheless everything was appetizing. Especially, when "sambal tempoyak" and "kicap" were avaible, "ladas nian". Usually we ended up with sweat all over our faces. Then lay on the wooden wall with eyes getting smaller and smaller. By then the taste was what mattered most. So it was true that the kitchen was a family meeting room and the taste was a family bond back then. However we did not really care about nutrition information or serving size whatever. Even the words of energy, protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins were rare to the ears of our mother.
However “zaman puntung berasap” have gone for ever. No floating smoke fill the kitchen and no pile of firewoods can be seen in the corner of the kitchen. No more sitting on the floor, “duduk bersila makan bersama”. So the culture of eating together that Bengkulu people practiced in those days can no longer be seen anywhere. On the other hand, the kitchen nowadays is provided with the latest equipments in line with the modern touch such as refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, dishwasher, rice cooker, water heaters, you name it.
