Cirebon, eventually

For some people, food means nothing more than just something they digest to feed the body. Some may have dull taste that they only know delicious and very delicious food, hence, eat everything they see before their eyes. Some others may be really intricate when it comes to currating a delicacy served before them. I'm none of them :)

I do have slightly good taste I can say which food is delicious, which is edible, and which is something you'd better not spend your money on. I choose the taste of the food it won't be just something I have to put down my throat. I can't, however, tell whether an Indonesian dish served for my dinner needs another dash of nutmeg or ginger.

One thing for sure, being a Scorpio, I'm quite emotional on most of the things I've been through. Moving on from a happy and sad event is never easy. I hold on to memories until another of same magnitude comes and replaces the old ones.

I came to Cirebon four years ago, with somebody who used to fill my whole time. He was the future of my past :) We had fun doing this and that, hanging out with friends, and of course, fattening up our already-fat tummies. Batik shopping was not forgotten.

It was a jubilant two-days and I got to satisfy my craving for nasi jamblang. Mang Dul had, and will always, been my favorit nasi jamblang. Common people's food stall where people regardless their wealth, title or fame will come and savor a dish of rice (nasi) wrapped in teak leave (jamblang). Anybody can choose any protein or veggie cuts they like from arrays of tinner plates placed to serve customers. Nothing special about the food, but it's an obligatory for anyone coming to Cirebon. In my case, I would usually take one rice, three or four protein cuts, and three or four spoon of chilis.

Having to deal with broken heart kept me from coming to Cirebon again. I just couldn't, no matter how much I wanted it. But when four years had gone by, I think enough was enough. I needed to prove I've moved on. So, when besties came out with this idea of batik shopping in Cirebon, I said I would go. Not wholeheartedly, but promised I would try.

We left Jakarta at 6 and arrived there at around 10 screaming for breakfast. Mang Dul was our first destination. It was the one located accross from the hotel where I stayed the last time. Right when I laid eyes on the hotel, memories of every second we spent there were like rolling before my eyes. This was, indeed, a trip of memory lane.

I let them dragged me to Mang Dul. I let them chatted loudly around me without being aware what exactly they were talking about. I was oblivious to a man sitting next to me smoking, which in normal situation would turn me rampage. I was still replaying the video of my old stories. Over and over again. Tears were about to fall down. I held back just because the place was packed with people. Every spoonfull of rice, everytime my mouth tasted the chili, I tasted my old tears, fears, and pain pinching my heart.The food tasted exactly the same it did four years ago. My heart was not.

I was sure besties would soon realize that I was not really "there". Luckily,  my YM beeped right on time. It was si Mas asking me where I was :) I was back to now. I was back to reality. I move on.

Anyway, it was good to have a plate of nasi jamblang Mang Dul once again. The taste did not change. The same ol' Mang Dul that I used to know. He surely knows how to maintain quality.

My breakfast: one rice, one fried eff, one chicken liver, one perkedel, one tempe and three spoonfull of chili. Cost me 12,500 only. Grinned ear to ear





When I travel with besties, food will always be our main agenda. From Mang Dul we went to batik shopping. Then, we had empal gentong (meat cooked in clear soup) Mang Darma, which was impeccable too. And of course, the famous tahu gejrot from a street vendor outside a batik boutique. It was so good, and hot.

Unfortunately, I did not get the batik I wanted. It was something very particular and so difficult to find. There were too many beautiful batiks there, though. My eyes were spoiled by the beauty of the bright colors. My skin was pampered by the soft cloth boutiques hang around the shops. If only I had all the money in the world, I'd probably buy them all. Well, I ended up buying three pieces :)


The most important part of the trip is to prove that I had moved on. Happy to know that I am moving on. Happy to know that those memories that had haunted me will soon be replaced by new ones. Happy that I could write about it now without one single tear on my cheeks.