What a fun and tasty event this was. Even though it was a dark and rainy day outside, you would have never guessed it from the lively crowd continuing to fill the event halls. Vendors set up around a large gymnasium selling food and Indonesian crafts. The program included an address by Houston’s new Indonesian Consulate General Nana Yuliana who had specially traveled to Atlanta with her staff to meet and serve the paperwork needs of the Indonesian community here. Other entertainment was provided by Evi Yang who performed Indonesian pop songs and got the crowd dancing along, and a soft rock band of Indonesian students from Georgia Tech.
Our gamelan ensemble was encouraged to arrive early – not only to set up the instruments, but to ensure we had a chance to try the cuisine before it was sold out! And we were glad we followed instructions as the bakso (beef ball and noodle soup), and sate (lamb & chicken skewers with peanut sauce) were hot items. We performed two sets: one toward the beginning of the event and one an hour or so later. Some members of the group thought they could wait until our interim break time to place orders, but alas! most of the hot dishes were sold out. Fortunately es campur (shaved ice with fruit and other toppings) was still available and delicious. And there was still some gorengan (fried snacks) of tempeh (fermented soybeans), bakwan jagung (corn fritter), and tahu isi (tofu filled with shredded veggies). A number of our members had fun learning and tasting these dishes and snacks for the first time. Are you bold enough to eat your gorengan with raw green cabe (chili peppers)?
As for our performance, we were happy to fill the halls with traditional music of Indonesia. Though I can’t say the room came to a halt to quietly meditate on the rich sounds of the gamelan, that is not the only way gamelan is experienced in Indonesia either. We did draw an appreciative audience during both of our sets, but for many of the event-goers we were a pleasant backdrop to food and fun with friends — which was a great experience for our ensemble too. After the performance, our drummer since the group was founded in late 90s Neil Fried aptly remarked that for us to keep our concentration in such a boisterous setting was a significant achievement. Thank you to KKI Atlanta for inviting us to be part of this wonderful event.
