There is a principle that I’ve always hold on to when I go travelling, and some of you might too; to do and eat what the locals do and eat. Nothing is more exciting than wandering in a new place and at the same time trying to imitate what the locals are like. Well, not exactly imitate how they behave since we all have our own culture too, but it is more of eating what the locals usually eat, going around the town by the transportation that the locals use, and doing other sorts of things that may make us feel like we were at home.
When I was in Korea, too, I applied this principle. I retained from eating at McDonald’s and KFC and had authentic Korean meals instead. Some of the local food might not suit my taste, but I could always eat something else and I believe that doing so can give more meanings to traveling than just a feeling of, “Oh, I’ve been to that place.”
But, yeah, I admit that I went to an Indonesian restaurant a few times… but that was just when I really missed Indonesian food!
Anyway, this principle still applies even when I’m in Indonesia. Every region in the country has its own traditional cuisine and I want to make sure that I eat the local food that I might not find anywhere else. That’s what makes it special, right? However, that was not the case when I was in Yogyakarta last December. I ate the local food too, of course, like gudeg, soto (soto tastes different in each region in Indonesia), and some others, including my grandma’s superb cooking. I especially like the soto in Yogyakarta, and if you don’t know what soto is, it’s kind of like a soup made of chicken or beef broth and is composed of meat (could be chicken or beef) and vegetables. If you happen to visit Yogyakarta, I recommend that you try its soto! Continue reading “A Taste of Korea and Italy in Yogyakarta”
