Old Town festival offers visitors rare recipes

Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/07/2008 10:55 AM  

Indonesian dancers are seen before performing during Old Town or "Kota Tua" Festival in Jakarta August 26, 2007. (Reuters Pictures)

"Let your nose guide your way" is the method the city's tourism agency is using to gather a crowd at the Fatahillah Park in the Old Town area, West Jakarta, this weekend for the 2008 Old Town Tourism Attraction. 

Some 50 people, from amateur cooks to professional chefs, will cook up a storm in the food competition. They will have to cook as close to the original recipe as possible. 

"We want to remind people of how it used to be. These recipes have influenced Betawi food up until now," Arie Budiman, the head of the tourism agency, said Wednesday 

There are 10 recipes from local original dishes like besengek daging (meat dish) and sate tulang (satay), to bestek (beef steak) from the Netherlands and sukiyaki (soup) from Japan. 

To win, a dish will have to wow the taste buds of five judges. Visitors can try the dishes and, after the scoring is complete, take the meals home. 

It is the second time the annual event has been held. It will showcase local-made Batavia (old Jakarta) products that cannot be found in modern markets. 

There will art performances from local singers and dances, as well as traditional performances of three cultures that influenced Indonesian arts: the Portuguese keroncong tugu, Arabic zapin dance and gambus music, and Chinese lute music and dragon dance. 

Twenty antique cars will be on display. Among them are cars made in 1928. Visitors have the chance to ride around the square in a car made in the 1950s. The car cannot go further because of its old engine, which gets overheated easily. 

"We want to ignite a sense of nostalgia through all the senses -- through the sight of the old buildings and old cars, and the taste of traditional and increasingly rare foods," Tinia Budiarti, head of the Jakarta History Museum, said Tuesday. 

The museums, which are housed in Dutch colonial buildings, will be open over the weekend. 

The event will start Saturday, Nov. 8, with the cooking competition, while the musicians and dancers perform on stage. The day will end with a fireworks display at around 7:30 p.m. 

There will be more music and dance performances Sunday morning. The afternoon will be filled with prayers to celebrate National Heroes Day. 

Arie said he hoped visitors would learn about Jakarta's roots and the event would encourage the private sector to host events in the area. 

"We all know the Old Town is one of the city's famous landmarks, so we do not really need to develop it physically. But we need to develop the soul of the place and tell people its historical importance."

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