Essay On Food Culture Interview

Indonesia is a country with variety of culture, ethnicity, tradition and language. Many people are not aware of Indonesia. It consists of more than 17,000 islands. It is the fourth most populated country in the world. It gives importance to family and traditional values. The national language is Bahasa Indonesia. I am from Jakarta, the biggest metropolitan city in Indonesia. The purpose of this essay is to discover and understand more about my family culture, especially the Indonesian culture.
I was born in Jakarta, the busiest city and the financial center of Indonesia. Both my parents were born in Indonesia .My maternal and paternal grandparents migrated from China and Hong Kong in 1900s. The only reason why they migrated to Indonesia was specifically because they were looking and hoping for better living conditions, as at that time China was very poor. My dad once told me that when he was a kid he had to share one boiled egg with 11 of his siblings for lunch.
Being the only son in my family I find it tough to handle the responsibilities. My family expects a lot from me. They expect me to uphold and take care of my family name. I have to take care of my two sisters and also become a successful person. Honestly, I think that it is normal because in general, I think Asian families have this culture. In most families the elder children care for their younger ones and even provide financially when they start working. As they live in extended families there are roles defined for members based on tradition. My fear is whether I will be able to fulfill the expectations of my family. It is not the task that bothers me because even if they don’t ask me to do all the things, I would still do it because I believe that it is my obligation. The reason why I feel difficult is because I am extremely scared that I won’t be able to do what my family expects. I don’t want to make my family feel embarrassed. My concern is that my parents should not feel disappointed. They should not think that I have not been taught well to become a successful person. Due to such reasons I always feel anxious. My family usually eats breakfast, lunch and dinner. We mostly eat bread for breakfast. My mother drinks milk and eat fruits in the morning. And as for me and two of my sisters, we usually eat an egg and drink milk and sometimes bread as well. My family has a typical Asian culture. When eating together, my grandparents should be the one who take food first. It is to show respect but actually they don’t care about it. Both my parents work every day from 8 am until 5 pm. They are usually very busy. Even though they are very busy they will spare at least one day for their children. My family likes to eat in the restaurant at least once a week.
Indonesia is known to have a variety of good food. Indonesian people really love to eat. The local people here usually eat rice or noodles everyday including breakfast. Even though Indonesian people have a small body, trust me they eat a lot. People, including my dad can eat a whole plate of rice with only an egg and a tofu. So it is like almost 80 Percent on the plate is rice. People really love rice. It is the primary staple food of Indonesia. They can’t survive without rice. Even the Fast food company (Mc Donald, Wendy, KFC)) over here provide rice in their menu. In Indonesia, if you have not eaten rice it makes you feel that you have not taken food. Indonesian people believe that without rice, you won’t feel full. I remember the last time when my father asked me to eat rice in spite of eating sandwich. Even though I was super full, I ate rice, pretending that I was enjoying it. The island is famous for the variety of dishes with fish and coconut. Sambal is a spicy relish which is eaten with rice. The Indonesian food that I like the most is Beef Rendang and martabak manis. Beef Rendang is chosen as the world’s most delicious food in 2011 by CNN. I do not know how to make it exactly .People usually simmer the beef for hours in coconut milk and spices until all the liquid evaporated. Martabak manis is actually an Indonesian pancake. It is the most popular Indonesian street food. Martabak manis have different types of flavor. The flavors consist of peanut, chocolate and cheese flavor. I really like the cheese flavor.
Nasi tumpeng is also one of the most popular foods that represent Indonesian People. The color of the rice is usually yellow. The shape of Nasi tumpeng means that everything in life will go to one point on top,ie God. The people of Indonesia usually make Nasi Tumpeng when their family members open a new business or when they get married. My family usually makes Nasi tumpeng only when they open a new business.
The only Holiday that my family celebrates is Chinese New Year. The main purpose of Chinese New Year is actually to have the big family gathering. We usually have a potluck and eat it in my grandparents’ house with my cousins, uncle, aunt, and my family. Orange fruit is a must in the celebration of Chinese New Year because the Chinese people including my family connect gifting of orange and tangerine to having plenty of wealth and happiness. Oranges and tangerines are placed so that people receive good luck. Gold is represented by the bright color of the orange. Hence it has an auspicious meaning to bring in good luck and wealth. Even potted plants are placed in common areas to attract prosperity. The miniature trees with oranges seen during the Chinese New Year are cultivated and exported to the places where Chinese live. The fruit is not for eating as too much fertilizer and hormone to induce fruits are used.
People in Indonesia are polite and tolerant. They live as extended families sharing wealth and possessions. They have a strong family bonding and so their interests are not personal. They live in social harmony taking care not to be rude or aggressive. Elders are given importance and are respected for their experiences and advice. They are very courteous to foreigners and have been a trade Centre for centuries. Indonesians are taught to be tolerant and they avoid public accusations causing embarrassment to other. The culture of Indonesia is a combination of traditions from early migrants and with the western thinking .A major part of the population follows Islam .It has the world’s largest Muslim society but maintain harmony with the other religion too.