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Indonesian Food on the American Market
Compared with for instance Italian and Chinese food, Indonesian food practically
does not exist on the American market. There are indeed a few Indonesian restaurants
and some shops sell Indonesian spices and ingredients, but by far the biggest percentage
of its customers are Dutch-Indonesians.
This has nothing to do with the quality
or the peculiar taste of Indonesian dishes
or ingredients. We listened to a lot of
discussions in Dutch-Indonesian circles
about quality and price of let us say the
ketchap of Runel or Hollinda. One con
siders Runel the best and another Hollinda.
Accordingly one thinks that the preferred
brand ought to be the standard ketchap
for America. This is nonsense of course.
When we think of the many brands of
Chinese soy sauce on the American market,
we see many tastes existing peacefully to
gether and no personal preference can
declare one of these brands as the only
genuine soy sauce. Also in Indonesia many
brands exist and up to now there is no ra
ting, which one is the best, Tjap Bango,
Tjap Tiga Kaki, Tjap Benteng, Tjap A,
etc. etc. Every brand conquers an own mar
ket, based on personal taste.
Another problem seems to be the price of
the Dutch-Indonesian ketchaps in America.
Many think this price is too high, as Chinese
and Japanese soy sauces are "much cheap
er." We investigated this matter thoroughly
and found out that Indonesian ketchap has
its own method of manufacturing (cooking,
spicing, aging, etc.) which makes it highter
in price. It is not possible to make a cheap
er Indonesian ketchap without damaging its
original and exquisite quality. Discussing
this matter with the buying department of
Safeway (which handles lots of Asian foods)
we found out that Indonesian ketchap is
considered a gourmet item."
All discussions about quality or costs being
the cause of the limited progress of Indo
nesian food in the American market are be
sides the point and worthless. The real
cause is the fact that the art of Indonesian
cooking is unknown in America. As we all
know basic ingredients of Indonesian cook-
continued
when I don't feel like reading novels or
anything else, I find it pleasant to leave
through volumes of our encyclopedia set.
In doing so, you'll be sure to come across
many interesting things. Things you would
not have thought about before and you'll
start reading.
That's why I feel that an encyclopedia set
should be in every home. And if you own
one, do not consider it just another piece of
nice furniture, but an essential one. Some
thing you will miss when it isn't there, like
you miss your television.
We get up in the morning, most of us that
is, to be in time for work. After a day's work,
we sit down in our living room to enjoy
whatever television offers. Surely, there is
nothing wrong with that, as long as it has
not become a habit.
If you think you are too old to join in the
competition for leadership, then you must
lead your children in adopting habits for this
purpose. Make them ready for this competi
tion of American Life. The variety of their
knowledge must be fundamental, and they
should always be eager for more knowledge.
Let us give them this fair chance. Create in
them the Habit of Reading. Buy more books
have an encyclopedia set in your home.
Make them WANT to pick up a book, when
they wish to know something. If your tele
vision set doesn't work, or if you can't af
ford to buy one, they will still be happy and
content because they enjoy reading and
books are always available.
Once they have finished school, there is a
90% chance that they follow the same hab-
ing are santen (coconut juice) and ketchap.
Every Dutch-Indonesian housewife knows
what to do with a bottle of ketchap or a
can of santen. But what can the American
housewife do with it? Indonesian cooking
books are very scarce and amongst the hun-
reds books of cooking art of other peoples,
why should the American housewife think
of Indonesian cooking?
Even when we could put thousands of
bottles of ketchap or cans of santen on the
shelves of the supermarkets, people would
not buy them as they do not know what to
do with it.
Tong-Tong now has been investigating
and working in this field for quite a time.
All possibilities of promoting the Indo
nesian kitchen have been considered care
fully, the greater part of these possibilities
being found unpractical or too expensive. One
possibility seems to be worth trying: pro
ducing an item that is in itself a link between
American and Indonesian cooking. In Amer
ica barbecueing is very popular and so is in
Indonesia the satay. When we could produce
an Indonesian barbecue sauce boemboe
satee) readymade and sold in bottles, maybe
the American would try it, like it, and grad
ually get more interested in other Indones
ian foods.
So Tong-Tong made this "Q," Indones
ian Bar-Be-Q-sauce, and introduces it care
fully in the American market (our "loem-
boeng padi" is already set up in some shops,
f.i. at Hollinda's at Huntington Drive). In
the meantime we continue probing public
opinion to change the taste of this sauce
accordingly.
Indeed we may differ again in opinion
from others as to the taste of this "Q" but
again this is a matter of personal taste and
only time and wide experimenting can pro
duce the ultimate and definite choice. In
its of the majority. Parents can eliminate
this 90% chance considerably, by estab
lishing POSITIVE habits EARLY.
So, do not wait too long, realize that a
child's education starts even before it sees
the world.
MARIJKE STEEVENSZ
Bij deze uiterst leerzame beschouwing van
Marijke Steevensz sluit een grappige ver
haaltje aan, dat ik als kind van mijn vader
hoorde. Mijn vader vertelde dat in het
plaatsje, waar hij als jongmens woonde (ik
meende dat het Poerwakarta was) twee
boekwinkels waren. Dat was een grote
aanwinst voor de burgerij, want in zo3n
klein plaatsje was natuurlijk doorgaans niet
veel te beleven en er werd vroeger veel en
graag gelezen.
Het otigelukkige was echter dat de winkels
precies tegenover elkaar gelegen waren en
er dus ongewild concurrentie geschapen
werd. Een van de boekhandelaren meende
met een goede slagzin meer kopers te trekken
en onder zijn nam schilderde hij: Wie
leest, verrijkt de geest!'3
Zijn concurrent meende hier iets dras
tische tegenover te moeten stellen en liet
onder zijn naam een groot bord aanbrengen
met:
"Wie niet leest, is een beest!33
Mijn vader vertelde me niet waar hij altijd
zijn boeken kocht, maar ik geloof dat hij
van beiden een goede klant was. Toen hij
overleed liet hij ons meer dan 2000 prachtige
boeken na!
LILIAN DUCELLE
Indonesia also there are many "boemboe
satee": from Madura, Tjiandjoer Djakarta,
Padang, Bandung, etc. etc. and every Indo
has his own preference. What Tong-Tong
however is trying is to find out what will be
the most popular taste for Americans.
In the next issue we hope to give an out
line of the several ways in which our readers
can help us in our work and earn with
it as well.
TJALIE ROBINSON
The Only Independent
Dutch-Indonesian Magazine
in America
le Jaargang No. 17
Verschijnt
de 15e en 30ste elke maand
Samen met Tong-Tong (zeepost)
Prijs: per nummer.50
per half jr5.00
per jaar $10.00
UXEÊDITIE
[AOvék'TfM TIE
fABONNgMEvJT]
A C 77
Lilian Ducelle
Tjalie Robinson
telf. 699-6837
Roy J. Steevensz
Marijke Steevensz
telf. 693-5659
P. O. Box 137, Whittier
^^Gable Address: Tong-Tong Whittier
