Fresh from the cart: A street vendor serves a dish in a food court in West Jakarta. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
One thing that usually impresses first-time visitors to Indonesia is the ubiquitous food vendors. In the evenings, food sellers open shop on the roadside so you don’t have to worry about going hungry — as long as you’re not too demanding about hygiene and safety standards. What’s wonderful about street food served at a warung (stall) is that it represents a slice of a certain region. Vendors usually hail from different regions across Indonesia, or they are locals but offer specialties from other regions just to be different. To ensure food safety, once in a while the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) conducts unannounced inspections. Read more...
