It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a Situbondo chicken?

ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , Situbondo Fri, 11/28/2008 10:57 AM Java Brew

Ahmad Junaedi's hand stroked the body of Kancil, his pet chicken, from its head to the tip of its tail.

Occasionally his fingers would massage the brisket of the white-winged chicken. He stretched the bird like a gymnastics trainer going through a warm-up routine with his beloved athlete.

On this particular Sunday, Kancil was racing in the final competition of ayam sap-sap (chicken ceremony).

"This is the final. That's why Kancil has to be truly fit," Junaedi said.

Ayam sap-sap is a traditional competition held by the Pasir Putih coastal community of Situbondo Regency, East Java, around 180 kilometers from Surabaya.

This one is different from other chicken events that are carried out in other regions around the country.

Ayam sap-sap is unique, in that it requires a chicken to fly from a boat out at sea toward the mainland.

Can chickens fly?

That's the contest's unique property. The ayam sap-sap forces its contestants to fly as far as possible toward the mainland -- the one that flies the farthest is declared the winner.

"There is a way to choose chickens so that they can fly far, and that is one of the tricks that has to be mastered to win," Junaedi said.

It is not clear who was the first to introduce this to Situbondo. There are some who say it was adopted from a similar competition held by the community of Kangean Island, not far from Madura Island.

It is also said that the basic idea comes from the traditional culture of sedekah bumi (a thanksgiving ceremony for the earth). Thanksgiving ceremonies performed by farmers -- involving food, plants and livestock, and which are carried out in the middle of the sea -- may have provided the idea for the ayam sap-sap.

The competition was previously held on religious days and national days, such as Indonesian Independence Day, celebrated on Aug. 17.

The Tourist Department in Situbondo then adopted it as an entertainment feature of Situbondo.

"Up to now ayam sap-sap has only been held on the beach of Pasir Putih Situbondo," said Soenarmadji, head of the regional Tours, Destinations and Attractions Division of the East Java Tourist Department.

Because of its unique feature, it's always a highly anticipated event by the local community. Thousands of people from Situbondo and from cities in East Java sit on the beach of Pasir Putih to watch the race.

The chickens always receive a lot of attention from the audience. Before the event, they receive special treatment from their handlers -- they are stroked, massaged and given energy-rich foods, including corn and energy drinks.

The participants must be hens, at least one year old and must be in good physical condition.

The bird's feathers have to be dense, soft and clean. Its wings must be long and dangle down and it must have a long tail. When the most suitable bird has been found it needs to be trained to fly.

In ayam sap-sap, a chicken is thrown into the air -- it then flies toward the mainland. Some of them can fly 300 meters or more.

As the competition date approaches, training becomes more intense, with birds working out almost every day.

Before the race, all birds are examined beforehand by a team of vets provided by the committee.

From the 200 chickens nominated for that Sunday, only 15 made it into the final competition -- including Kancil.

The contestants were taken several hundred meters off the shore by a boat.

Flapping their wings and sailing across the sea to the beach, they could be seen frantically flying toward the shore where onlookers applauded and cheered them on.

Most of the chickens landed safely on the beach; some of them crash-landed in the water.

Junaedi's primed athlete, Kancil, was outdone by a firm competitor called Lorek, who belonged to Rinto from Pasir Putih Situbondo.

"I'm also surprised that Lorek could fly so far," Rinto said.

A day for disabled kids to shine

ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , Surabaya, East Java | Fri, 11/28/2008 10:57 AM | Sports


Yusak Immanuel waved his hands in the air, a broad grin on his sand-smeared face, as he celebrated his feat: a personal best in the long jump.

"I am happy. I want to be the champion," Yusak told The Jakarta Post after he completed his victory lap at Surabaya's National Sports Council field on Wednesday.

For Yusak, a student of Siswa Budi, a school for children with disabilities in Surabaya, East Java, this was an exciting day. Yusak was one of 230 athletes with mental and physical disabilities who competed in a sports carnival for children with disabilities, organized by the Surabaya chapter of the Sports for People with Disabilities Agency (BPOC).

At least 45 schools across the city sent students to compete in the carnival, which featured nine different events including chess, tennis, 50-meter and 100-meter sprints, hammer throw, discus throw and javelin throw.

"We take their disabilities into consideration in this competition. People with certain physical disabilities could not compete in certain events," Surabaya BPOC chairman Kasmin told the Post.

In some competitions, trainers or teachers helped out their students with instructions on how to compete in their events.

"Come on ... Please jump with both legs. Don't walk," one coach said to a long-jump athlete.

Nunik Malinda, a sports coach at Siswa Budi, said trainers needed to know the tricks when coaching students with disabilities.

"As children, they always want to play so we need to make them see sport as part of their games," Nunik said.

"Of course, we have to be patient and keep repeating the instructions during the training to ensure that they understand what to do."

A trainer at Sasanti Wijaya school, Biva Syaria Juned, said it was unfortunate that many students with disabilities could not do sports because of the lack of sports facilities at their schools.

"We have to keep introducing sports to the students. But it will be limited to sports that do not need certain facilities," Biva said.

Not all went smoothly on the day. One enthusiastic young athlete kept running even after he crossed the finishing line, and a blind athlete threw a javelin into the watching crowd.

Getting a taste from home in the Big Apple

ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , New York | Fri, 11/14/2008 11:07 AM | Potpourri

Nani Tanzil greeted her customers personally. "Hi, how are you?" You look thin now, what's happening? I guess that's because you don't eat here as regularly as before."

She is the owner of Indonesian restaurant Minang Asli in the district of Queens, New York. Minang Asli is just one of tens of restaurants in the United States offering an Indonesian menu.

Nani said running a restaurant in the United States was not as easy as many people would think.

It takes hard work to turn a dream into reality, she said, not to mention fierce competition with other restaurants and the fact that many Americans were not accustomed to the taste of Indonesian food.

"But that doesn't mean there aren't any opportunities. I can do it," Nani told The Jakarta Post.

She has been in the food business since 2004. At the time, Nani, who came to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant, sold food from her house in the Sunny Side district of Queens Boulevard, New York.

Relying on word-of-mouth promotion, the business flourished -- the restaurant in her house became well-known among the Indonesian community and, slowly but surely, among westerners.

Exceeding Nani's expectations, the westerners also loved her food and soon her house could not accommodate all of the eager customers.

"I then decided it was time to open a restaurant."

Her idea was welcomed by one of her friends, who was ready to become a partner. But financial problems became an obstacle.

They then decided to borrow some US$100,000 from a bank to rent a place, obtain permits and others.

In no time, the Padang restaurant opened in Queens.

The struggle continues. In Queens, where Minang Asli is located, there are several other Indonesian restaurants.

"What can we do? They are competitors. I also have to compete with Chinese, Thai, Indian and other restaurants, so things aren't that easy," she said.

In spite of these problems Nani stays optimistic. "Nobody can cook like me," she said.

Indonesian restaurants in the United States have helped Indonesian people living there ease their craving for home cooking.

Tommy Wong, who has been living in the U.S. and working for an electronics company for four years, said he loved to eat in Indonesian restaurants.

"Of course I don't go to Indonesian restaurants every day. But I certainly go there every month to taste food from home," he told the Post when he visited Minang Asli.

Apart from Minang Asli, there are two other popular Indonesian restaurants -- the Bali Nusa Indah and the Kuta Satay House -- in the heart of New York City.

Unlike Minang Asli, they target high-class customers, meaning higher prices with a more luxurious ambience and comfortable furnishings.

"We are actually located in the heart of New York city," said Tjong, the waiters' coordinator at the Bali Indah, which first opened in 1995.

The restaurant, which belongs to Mellyana Alatief, does not only boast Indonesian food as its specialty, but also brings the country's atmosphere to the United States.

Batik from Yogyakarta was chosen to cover the tables and there are various wall decorations brought from home, such as Javanese puppets and Barong Bali masks through to classic photos of the KNIL (the Dutch colonial army) soldiers posing in front of their headquarters in Betawi (now Jakarta).

The restaurant boasts Indonesian popular cuisine, from gado-gado Betawi (mixed vegetables served with peanut sauce), soto Madura (clear chicken soup from Madura), sop buntut Blora (Blora oxtail soup) and udang balado (fried shrimp in chili sauce) to martabak (fried crepe filled with meat, onion and spices).

The restaurant serves es cendol (a beverage made with rice flour droplets), Jakarta es sarikayo (sweetsop fruit) and es teler (iced fruit-cocktail with a topping of condensed milk).

"All these drinks can be found here," Tjong said.

Bali Nusa Indah even brings in special chefs from Indonesia. One of them is Lukman Zubair, a chef from the East Java town of Gresik who has lived for 20 years in the U.S.

"In this restaurant, chefs like me have to cook many different menus since the people coming here have heard about many Indonesian food and want to give them a try," said Lukman, who is a former chef from an American cruise ship.

For this man, living in the U.S. is actually not the final point in his career.

"I actually want to go back to Indonesia and open a similar restaurant in Jakarta," said the father of five.

Despite the promising business, both Minang Asli and the Bali Nusa Indah face similar problems -- such as expensive prices of raw materials and rare cooking ingredients, although some ingredients can be obtained in the U.S.

For example, rendang (beef cooked in spices and coconut milk) is impossible to make without coconut cream, onions, red chili, ginger, galangal and turmeric. Not all these raw and fresh materials are available at U.S. supermarkets.

"The ingredients come from Asia and are actually expensive," Nani said. "I usually get them from a Thai shop."

With stiff competition from other restaurants -- such as Chinese, Thai and Japanese restaurants -- it is not easy for Indonesian restaurants to stay in business.

Several Indonesian restaurants have reportedly collapsed. Two of them, the Indo House and Padang Raya, were only open for six months.

"But that does not mean there's no opportunity. If you want to sell Indonesian food here, try Javanese food," said Nani, adding she planned to open another restaurant.

Surabaya facing major sanitation problem, experts warn

ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , Surabaya | Fri, 11/21/2008 11:13 AM | East Java

Surabaya faces a major threat from inadequate drainage systems and poor waste management that could trigger a serious sanitation problem in the future, two experts warn.

Mas Agus Mardiyanto, dean of Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology's school of environmental engineering, said the poor state of drainage, coupled with shoddy garbage management, posed a chronic environmental problem to residents and hinder any attempts to develop Surabaya into a metropolitan city.

"Annual flooding is a chronic problem city authorities have not solved yet due to the poor condition of drainage. This has been worsened by the increasing production of garbage that is not managed in the Benowo landfill," he told The Jakarta Post after presenting his paper at a seminar on sustainable environmental sanitation for tropical regions here Tuesday.

Mardiyanto said Surabaya produced 900 tons of rubbish every day and its direct disposal at the 37-hectare landfill also posed a health problem to residents in Benowo subdistrict because of the lack of recycling and waste management.

"The landfill faces strong opposition from residents, not only because it poses health problems, but also because its waste water is polluting the groundwater and shrimp and fish ponds," he said.

He added experts from Japan had frequently offered to conduct joint environmental research to seek a comprehensive solution to the environmental sanitation issue.

Mardiyanto also criticized the absence of an integrated water resource management, which is complicating the current water shortage in the city, home to 2.9 million people and thousands of factories.

"As a result, everyone's passing the blame for the polluted rivers and groundwater, with no sides offering a comprehensive solution to the problem," he said.

He added the municipal administration must begin making necessary regulations, and urged water companies to rehabilitate their waste management processes. He also called on NGOs to closely monitor environmental management, and on the police to punish polluting companies.

Tokyo University environmental expert Kensuke Fukushi said the provincial government should devolve the management of water to allow local communities to identify and seek comprehensive solutions to the problems affecting water management.

He added local communities should be trusted to promote the proper management of groundwater, saying skilled engineers were not necessary to help maintain water management facilities.

"Local communities should be given responsibility in managing water resources, and the water distribution should be entrusted to local wisdom," he said.

Overseas voting bodies face snags

ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , New York | Tue, 11/04/2008 10:34 AM | National

Overseas voting bodies assisting the Indonesian 2009 general election are facing difficulties sending ballots via the post, informing voters about candidates and determining the total number of eligible voters.

These problems have left Indonesians living overseas, especially in the United States, pessimistic about the smooth running of the election.

"Will Indonesia change after the elections? The election procedures are still disorganized. I would prefer to be golput," said Tony Herman, an Indonesian migrant worker in New York. Golput refers to golongan putih: People who prefer not to cast their vote.

He said other Indonesian migrant workers in New York would also not be voting.

"We have received no information about the candidates or new political parties. We only know the old faces. We lack the passion to vote," said Tony, who has lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years.

Sidin Putih Sembiring, head of election procedures in New York, called on the General Elections Commission (KPU) to start informing overseas voters about the parties' and candidates running in this election.

"Because candidates cannot make it to campaign in New York, it would be great if they could promote their programs through the Internet," he said.

However, Sidin was worried that information made available through the Internet would not reach all Indonesians, especially migrant workers.

"Such workers are difficult to reach," he said, adding that many workers might not register with Indonesian embassies or consulates to become eligible voters.

Around 11 million Indonesians are expected to cast their votes in the April 2009 legislative elections in 117 polling stations outside Indonesia. The number of eligible voters in New York is about 7,500.

In total, the KPU has listed the total number of voters at around 170 million. Their votes will decide the 560 lawmakers for the House of Representatives.

A total of 11,225 legislative candidates from 38 parties are running for election.

Bambang Antarikso, Indonesian Consul General in New York, said there was a possibility that the number of unregistered voters could outnumber registered ones.

To update data on eligible voters, the consul general called on Indonesians living in New York to download the registration form from www.indonesianewyork.org.

"Updating the data is important because the ballots will be sent through postal services. Without the update, the ballots may not reach the voters," he said.

Overseas voting bodies face snags

ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , New York | Tue, 11/04/2008 10:34 AM | National

Overseas voting bodies assisting the Indonesian 2009 general election are facing difficulties sending ballots via the post, informing voters about candidates and determining the total number of eligible voters.

These problems have left Indonesians living overseas, especially in the United States, pessimistic about the smooth running of the election.

"Will Indonesia change after the elections? The election procedures are still disorganized. I would prefer to be golput," said Tony Herman, an Indonesian migrant worker in New York. Golput refers to golongan putih: People who prefer not to cast their vote.

He said other Indonesian migrant workers in New York would also not be voting.

"We have received no information about the candidates or new political parties. We only know the old faces. We lack the passion to vote," said Tony, who has lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years.

Sidin Putih Sembiring, head of election procedures in New York, called on the General Elections Commission (KPU) to start informing overseas voters about the parties' and candidates running in this election.

"Because candidates cannot make it to campaign in New York, it would be great if they could promote their programs through the Internet," he said.

However, Sidin was worried that information made available through the Internet would not reach all Indonesians, especially migrant workers.

"Such workers are difficult to reach," he said, adding that many workers might not register with Indonesian embassies or consulates to become eligible voters.

Around 11 million Indonesians are expected to cast their votes in the April 2009 legislative elections in 117 polling stations outside Indonesia. The number of eligible voters in New York is about 7,500.

In total, the KPU has listed the total number of voters at around 170 million. Their votes will decide the 560 lawmakers for the House of Representatives.

A total of 11,225 legislative candidates from 38 parties are running for election.

Bambang Antarikso, Indonesian Consul General in New York, said there was a possibility that the number of unregistered voters could outnumber registered ones.

To update data on eligible voters, the consul general called on Indonesians living in New York to download the registration form from www.indonesianewyork.org.

"Updating the data is important because the ballots will be sent through postal services. Without the update, the ballots may not reach the voters," he said.