INDONESIAN AND AMERICAN FOOD

Indonesian and American Food

Food is very important for human life. Each country in the world has a specific food which is different from other countries. Indonesia has different food from the USA. When an Indonesian comes to the USA or an American comes to Indonesia, he will be in food shock. Indonesian and American food have a lot of differences; the staple food, the taste of the food, and the eating manners are important to know in order to adjust to the differences.

First of all, the Indonesian staple food is rice. Rice is very important for Indonesian people. Indonesian people eat rice every day. Rice is served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rice is served with meat, fish, and vegetables. Dewit & Borghese (1973) state that “Whether there is meat or fish or vegetable to eat is of second importance. The main concern is that there is rice (p. 36)”. However, American staple foods are wheat and corn. American people eat a variety of food every day. They eat rice rarely.

In addition, the taste of the Indonesian food is spicy. Indonesian people like spicy food. They always use many chilies and soy sauce. On the other hand, the taste of the American food is sweet or a little bit salty. According to McIntosh (1995), “Along with calorie containing sweeteners, consumption of artificial sweeteners has increased (p. 135)”. They often use ketchup or mayonnaise.

Moreover, Indonesian eating manner is to use a spoon and a fork. A spoon is more common. Sometimes Indonesian people just use their fingers and use a bowl of lemon water to wash their fingers after eating. In contrast, American people eat their food using a fork. They just use a spoon to eat soup.

However, Indonesian people and American people also have a similarity. Indonesian people take just a short time to prepare their breakfast. They take a longer time to prepare lunch and dinner than breakfast. In the same way, American people also take just a short time to prepare their breakfast.

Knowing the differences of the staple food, the taste of the food, and the eating manners between Indonesian and American food is important for us in order to adjust to each other. It will help you understand both Indonesian and American culture. It will prepare you if you come to Indonesia or go to the USA.

References

Dewit & Borghese. (1973). The complete book of Indonesian cooking. New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company.

McIntosh, E. N. (1995). American food habits in historical perspective. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.