Bali Cooking Class Day Shopping at Market

This was going to be one very exciting day for us. Judy loved to cook Indonesian food and we had a small restaurant on our street: MIRASA, a tiny place where the owner's wife was the cook. So, we had Indonesian food in our blood. The plan was to spend the morning shopping for the food with the teacher/chef and then cook our own lunch.

Wayan and the driver met us at 7 at the hotel lobby and drove us to the Waka di Ume resort where we met our teacher Arik. They left us with her and she had the resort van drive us downtown to the local market to shop. She told us that the market started at about 4 in the morning and was closed at 9, so that the tourist art market could be set up. 

Arik talking with Judy just as we began our shopping in the market. Two things are quite obvious: Arik is pregnant AND she is quite professional in appearance. Arik was a charming, well-informed lady, with a quiet voice, who slowly explained every little detail of the market to us. They are standing in front of a large basket of offerings that will be placed at the door of a temple where a wedding is taking place. She talked openly of "Bali stomachs" versus "foreigners' stomachs." She would offer us fruit to try, but she would handle the fruit and peel it and let us eat the sweet inside. Of course, there were fruits that were strange to us, but Arik knew their names. She was a teacher, in fact. 

 This is a typical "stall" at the market. We have seen these kinds of shops in every country in the East. This lady is selling woven baskets, beaded bags, and towels.

 This is a spice seller, with ground pepper, cardoman, eggs, and some very small fruits, like limes. There are beans also. She is set up on wooden crates away from the stone floor.

 Onions, peppers, ginger and potatoes. She is a farmer's wife, Arik told us, and comes to the market every day.

 This lady makes and sells the small woven baskets placed at every door in Bali. These are not yet complete and she is about to place the small red flowers on each one.

 Dried fish, beans and potatoes for sale.

 This is a fruit stall, selling grapes, oranges, apples, and plantain.

 This stall sells the woven offering baskets. Next to her is the egg lady. The Balinese market is fly-ridden, dirty, with farmers and their families selling produce. "Open from 3AM to 9AM for the Balinese," Arik told us, "Then it is cleaned and it becomes an art market for tourists." Yes, we understand that, but what it means is that the farmers have to be there right after midnight to set up and then don't finish until 9. That is nine hours AT NIGHT. So, when do they work? It must mean that the husbands are at home on the farm working while their wives, mothers and aunts are at the market. Amazing how hard they work and for so little.

 Since religion is so important to the Balinese, every day and every ceremony is honored with an offering. This lady sells the flowers that go into the offering baskets.

 These long beans, called "kousebonen" in Holland, are important ingredients in Indonesian cooking. There are also bean sprouts for sale.

 Well, it is obvious what is for sale here. The first fish we saw, galengal, coconuts, banana leaves AND durian, the famous stinky fruit that orangutuans love.

 Just a simple shop, but the lady on the right is wearing a traditional Bali lady's sarong.

Judy walking down to the basement level of the market. Every centimeter is filled with shops. The lovely smells and sounds of the market filled the air and made us hungry for cooking.

 We finally arrived at the meat section of the market. Just like China, these people lay the slaughtered pieces of meat on plates for sale. There is no attempt at all for keeping meat cool or protected from flies. But, the chicken looked fresh. Arik told us that she does not buy meat for the kitchen here, but it is delivered right from the farmers.

 This is pork, because the Balinese do not eat cow meat.

 Judy's favorite: tomatoes.

The VERY pregnant Arik picking up a piece of fruit (what kind?) and telling us: "I will peel this and you try it. It is sweet."

 As we left the market to take the van to the cooking lesson, we saw this little girl. She reminded us of Manami, our 3 year old granddaughter. So cute, so still. Sort of afraid of us, the strangers, but still a quiet pretty girl, so well dressed. At that moment, we told Arik we wanted to buy clothing for Manami.

Arik brought us to this shop, and Judy had a LOT of fun buying a pair of Balinese girls' pants and a top for Manami.

Here they are.

 The little Batik dress will be CUTE.

And, what do you think of these beautiful pants? Judy was very pleased (and with the price, too).

The Market shopping was over and the hotel van took the three of us to the cooking class. It was now just about 8:30 and the market was beginning to close down. Somehow, a large open truck was backed into the ground floor, right between all the shops. Men with shovels, brooms and wicker baskets, swept and cleaned the floor and threw the baskets of garbage into the truck, where another man emptied the baskets and threw them back. It was noisy AND dirty, A zillion flies and a zillion shouts. All the garbage was dumped into a central walled area for pick up later, I guess. I couldn't see tourists enjoying the smells.

At Waka di Ume Hotel and Spa, Arik sat us at a table and offered us breakfast. Tea or coffee and Balinese sticky white and black rice; baked banana; croissant, toast, muffin ("all fresh today"); watermelon jam, papaya jam, mango jam "All made fresh every day." Arik said, "You can't keep it, so people who want to take it home, we must say NO".

We sat quietly talking, absolutely in love with our morning adventure. The hotel guests looked so....so Western and clean. We laughed: little did they know that we had just been in the local market , where they would never go unless they took a cooking class (OR, got up very early). Arik bustled around talking with the kitchen staff and "planning the daily menu". She also trained the young trainees and taught the cooking lesson. A busy (pregnant) lady. She told us," I have two daughters, but (shrugs her shoulders) my husband.....well. I am 38 years old and did not want any more children. I come from a poor family. My mother gave me nothing and I want to give more to my daughters. I went to university to learn Hospitality and to be a chef. My daughters are 16 and 10 and now......I have worked in the hotel for 14 years. I cook, run the kitchen AND teach Balinese cooking in the traditional outdoor wood fired Balinese kitchen. I want to give my daughters what my mother did not give me. We were poor. I took contraception from the doctor, but I got headaches. I went to the doctor and he said I was pregnant. I was sad, but my philosophy is to be happy. With happiness, life goes better. Now, I am satisfied. My daughters can take care of the baby. The hotel gives me 3 months leave. I drive a motorscooter the 12 kilometers home and back every day even though I am almost 8 months pregenant . I take my girls to school, one in the front, one in the back and (laughs) one and a half in the middle. I hope it is a son. I must work because my husband works in the rice filed. It is enough to feed our family, but none to sell.

 Arik with a lemon seller behind her. Arik told us that her name is "Arik. ARAK makes you drunk, my name makes you smile."