(published by The Jakarta Post on 31 Aug 2010. Click here ) One of the many things we do when we want to make our parents happy is taking them out to dinner at our favorite restaurants, to savor our best culinary discoveries. My late father always expected me to take him to a warung (vendor) that served soto (chicken or meat soup) or pecel (assorted steamed vegetables dipped in peanut sauce) whenever I returned to my hometown. Taste-wise, for him, this was hardly any different to the food my mother prepared, and there was no particularity in the warung we visited, as long as they served those dishes. The meals were extraordinary because we were dining together. The rare moments we spent together chatting over meals were so special for him. During my college years in Surabaya, East Java, he always looked forward to the times when I returned home. Each time he knew I would come home during the school break he would keep his stomach empty until I arrived. When we arrived at a warung h...
Life is beautiful, and also..., simple.