Light skin fascination far predates western colonialism. It has thousands of years of documented history. Just look at the history of the umbrella. For thousands of years in all of Asia it was used to shield people from the sun and from developing darker skin. Lighter skin tone in Indonesia was more of a slow intermixing of peoples from east Asian into southeast Asia. Have you ever wondered why the skin tone of Indonesia darkens as you get further away from China? Despite having the same latitude and less solar radiation in Papua, Papuans are far darker than Javanese.
I don't know how many of the cultures of Indonesia share the value of mob/group justice, but I have seen it to some extent across many groups. Everyone in a community shaming or beating someone that deviates from the culture norms seems traditional to many of the cultures. It contrasts with my own.
There is always cultural cross over and influence in all cultures. Cultures are not static and always evolving. One of the key ways I define cultures is through food. Preparation, flavors, and presentation are all cultural values.
Once BPS had a website for the retail prices of the 20 or so most used food products in every province of Indonesia. Where these ingredients exclusive to Indonesia? No. But the combination of them as the basis of a cuisine was likely uniquely Indonesia.
One thing I have observed is the way food is traditionally prepared for Indonesia. It is an equatorial country. Its regions generally have consistent temperature all year and the majority of them are hot. Most food can be grown on a continuous basis. Food reserves generally only had to last until the next harvest cycle and not a full year. Many fruits and plants continuously produce. The sea can produce fish all year. Most of the food preparation is centered around preserving cooked food from the tropical weather and less about preserving the majority of your calories for a full year. This is usually done by cooking most of the moisture out of the food. Another common way of keeping food safe to eat is by having it in a soup that can continuously be reheated. Dry meat and soup seem to be universal across most of Indonesia.
Can anyone think of any foods that are universal across most or all of Indonesia?
I don't know how many of the cultures of Indonesia share the value of mob/group justice, but I have seen it to some extent across many groups. Everyone in a community shaming or beating someone that deviates from the culture norms seems traditional to many of the cultures. It contrasts with my own.
There is always cultural cross over and influence in all cultures. Cultures are not static and always evolving. One of the key ways I define cultures is through food. Preparation, flavors, and presentation are all cultural values.
Once BPS had a website for the retail prices of the 20 or so most used food products in every province of Indonesia. Where these ingredients exclusive to Indonesia? No. But the combination of them as the basis of a cuisine was likely uniquely Indonesia.
One thing I have observed is the way food is traditionally prepared for Indonesia. It is an equatorial country. Its regions generally have consistent temperature all year and the majority of them are hot. Most food can be grown on a continuous basis. Food reserves generally only had to last until the next harvest cycle and not a full year. Many fruits and plants continuously produce. The sea can produce fish all year. Most of the food preparation is centered around preserving cooked food from the tropical weather and less about preserving the majority of your calories for a full year. This is usually done by cooking most of the moisture out of the food. Another common way of keeping food safe to eat is by having it in a soup that can continuously be reheated. Dry meat and soup seem to be universal across most of Indonesia.
Can anyone think of any foods that are universal across most or all of Indonesia?