Rijsttafel dinner

Monday evening we joined other guests at the restaurant to participate in a traditional Indonesian Rijsttafel Dinner. Funny thing was everyone else watched the Legong dancers and Gamalan orchestra upstairs on the terrace, while we decided to eat as waiting for the performance to finish would have meant eating too late, so we ended up with the restaurant to ourselves, and we could still hear the music. The Rijsttafel, which translates literally as "rice table dinner" dates back 350 years to the peak period of Dutch rule in Indonesia. The idea developed from local culture where rice is the meal staple, and you add small amounts of meat or seafood or poultry and vegetables. The Dutch however liked larger meals, so they developed the idea into a feast with rice and 8 or more accompanying dishes, with associated pickles and sauces. The meal we had comprised 13 different courses, although luckily some were presented simultaneously, more like tasting plates. Even with the rice there were three different varieties - white, black and yellow. While I was still very full by the time we finished it was not quite the ordeal it sounds. The food was beautiful and the spices used are certainly different to those used in other Asian foods I regularly eat at home. 27.5.13