The Birdwoman's Palate by Laksmi Pamuntjak

Author:Laksmi Pamuntjak [Pamuntjak, Laksmi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503937345
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Published: 2018-01-31T22:00:00+00:00

There are always cities that inhabit our imaginations long before we visit them. Medan is one of them—every time I hear “Medan,” I immediately think: Commerce.

The word “Medan” is practically synonymous with money and trade, buying and selling, bargaining and haggling, duplicity and deception, cunning fraud, consumerism, market power, chaos, violence, traffic, pollution, the law of the jungle. It’s a virtual embodiment of every unsavory thing we know about politics and capitalism: dirty politics, pork-barrel politics, the politics of survival, hired thugs. Nothing is pretty and nothing comes free in Medan. Everything is brutal and ugly.

But these days the impression that has attached itself to the city is that of a food paradise. And if someone from Medan recommends eating at this place or that, I take their word for it. Who knows why, but their palates seem to be accustomed to various options in abundance, all more or less above average. As a result they have to be much more selective when deciding which is the choicest.

Bono, who has many Medanese friends, has made a list, as usual. Sitting between me and Nadezhda on the plane ride over, and during the entire taxi ride to the hotel, he’s been talking nonstop about that list, that catalogue of Medan’s culinary delights. Kari Bihun, “Chicken” Bakmi, Nasi Campur, “Crack of Dawn” Kwetiau, “Crack of Dawn” Bihun Bebek, Sangsang, all the crazy assorted noodles they sell on Jalan Selat Panjang.

“Why don’t we go to Jalan Selat Panjang and get something to eat?”

Never mind that it’s 11:00 p.m. and I’m completely pooped.

“You two go ahead,” I say to Bono and Nadezhda as I drag my suitcase to the elevator, room key in hand. “I’m going to crash.”

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