GOOD EGG

In conversation somebody brought up street food in various cities around the world, possibly as a means of showcasing how well travelled she was.
I was not part of this conversation -- not knowing the people involved, and too busy snarfing down lean pork and skin-egg congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥), plus a fried oil stick (油條) to even grunt -- but I listened in while they apathetically forked over some damned fine steamed rice sheet noodle rolls (腸粉), and pork siu mai (豬肉燒賣).
Unless its crocodile or kangaroo, Australians don't get excited.
And unlike everybody else, they need Vegemite.
It's their soulfood of choice.

[Lean pork and skin-egg congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥): 'pei daan sau yiuk juk'. Fried oil stick (油條): 'yau tiu'. Steamed rice sheet noodle rolls (腸粉): 'cheung fan'. Pork siu mai (豬肉燒賣): 'chyu yiuk siu maai'. How did I know it was pork? There's a little yellow dab of preserved egg yolk on top.]

One of them had been to Yogyakarta. Where gudeg is from. A stew made of unripe jackfruit simmered a long time with coconut milk, palm sugar, and spices. Often served with opor ayam on a banana leaf. Both of which, unsurprisingly, can be vastly improved by the addition of Vegemite.
In addition to the inevitable sambal (chili paste).

I have never tasted gudeg in Djokya. But when I travelled, I never got smashed either, unlike most Australians or Britons.

When white people get drunk in the tropics, they smell like Vegemite.


If you are travelling in South East Asia, you do well to avoid the Caucasians there. They are almost always drunk.


Gudeg is good stuff.




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