Got Rice?

Rice is the basis to every meal in Indonesia. Even in the Indonesian language, there are 4 words for rice:

Sawah: Rice in the field, also means rice paddy
Gabah: Unmilled rice that's been separated from the stem
Beras: Milled but uncooked rice
Nasi: Cooked Rice

So needless to say, cleaning up the rice paddies is a really important and urgent task in the reconstruction process. This weekend, we were invited to one of the villages we work in on the eastern coast of Aceh to celebrate with the villagers the completion of sawah clean-up. I learned how to say, congratulations on cleaning up of your rice paddy (selamat atas selesainya pern bergihan sawah) and I hope you will be able to plant rice soon (saya berharap semoga anda dapat segera turun kesawah).

We were greeted with big (and I mean big) pots of lamb and jackfruit curry with big (and I mean big) tubs of rice. And like everyone else, I sat on a fallen coconut tree and ate with my hand (right hand only).

I think I have had more nasi the last four weeks than I have had the last four years. I don't think the low-carb craze will ever catch on here.