Archive for April, 2008
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Pasuruan, East Java
Villager Muhammad Yassin may not be aware Indonesia has reached a new record, it’s fastest deforestation rate ever, clearing an estimated 1.8 million hectares of forest each year.
But the 59-year-old villager of Jatiarjo, East Java does care about the forests on the slopes of Mount Arjuno, near his home.
Every morning, the grandfather of five leaves his home, walking to the forest three kilometers away. In the afternoon he returns home, carrying bundles of grass for his three cows.
Along the edge of a forest owned by state forestry company Perum Perhutani Unit II, Pasuruan, Yassin cultivates a plot of land some 250-square-meters in area.
The former game hunter gained a permit to farm in the company’s vulnerable forest areas by growing various trees.
“I have no other ambitions. I just want to see this forest lush and green again, like it was before. I’ll be planting whatever seedlings I can get from the village or this forest, on this plot,” Yassin told The Jakarta Post.
Yassin now grows jackfruit, coffee, avocado, banana, papaya, guava, kapok, candlenut and bay trees, which he planted in around 2004.
Yassin is one of 17 members of the Forest Village Community Institute (LMDH) in Ngudi Lestari, Jatiarjo. Its members joined the program by applying for the so-called “foster forest concept”.
The “foster forest concept” was first introduced as a pilot project in 2004 by the Yayasan Kaliandra Sejati (YKS), a non-governmental organization dealing with the environment (which also operates the Center for Nature and Culture Education on the slopes of Arjuno) in Pasuruan.
In the wake of the reform drive in 1998, thousands of hectares of forests on the slopes of Mt. Arjuno and nearby Mt. Welirang were targeted for deforestation by unscrupulous profiteers. Hundreds of thousands of logs from various trees including pine, casuarina, mahogany, bay and acacia were looted.
Some forests were denuded completely and left without any coverage to retain rainwater, making areas vulnerable to landslides and erosion.
Mt. Arjuno is an important area because it also serves as the water catchment area for more than 20 percent of the population of East Java.
Yassin and other villagers affiliated with the LMDH-Ngudi Lestari program were determined to restore the forest to its previous state.
The idea of village community based reforestation emerged in 2004, LMDH-Ngudi Lestari chairman Faturrohman said.
Previously, the community around the forest used its wood for fires or to make charcoal, hunted its animals for meat and squatted there.
In 2005, the “foster forest concept” started; by raising awareness of the need to protect forest areas, and and with campaigns to encourage people to take pride in forest conservation.
“The forest community, who formerly relied on hunting, tree felling, charcoal making (and other activities causing forest depletion), were provided with training. Now local villagers have quit their old ways and are proud of their forest,” Faturrohman said.
In 2006, farmers began to replant trees with funding from the regional and state budgets. In 2007, the replanting had covered some 1,050 hectares, and this year alone some 350 hectares have been reforested.
The farmers chosen to join ‘foster’ groups are responsible for looking after vulnerable regenerated land, including 369 hectares in Jatiarjo and 420 hectares in Dayurejo.
The farmers are responsible for the management, monitoring, care and maintenance of trees, including mahogany, bay and acacia. In compensation, they would receive incentives from the Environment Service Compensation (KPJL) program, under the YKS.
With fees collected from those using YKS facilities in the pilot project, Rp 1,000 is set aside from each ticket, YKS manager Agus Wiyono said.
“The fund is then spent on incentives,” he said.
“The number of visitors to the Kaliandra project is increasing each year. In 2007, they totaled around 20,000, so the total levy funds collected reached around Rp 20 million,” Wiyono said.
Yassin and his 16 peers currently only receive around Rp 1.2 million a year. The amount could increase, with more private companies involved or investing in the project.
The LMDH has a current membership of some 300 forest farmers.
“Any increase in the number of firms (needing local water resources for their operations) that join this program, would be beneficial. Farmers will gain extra income, a lot more vulnerable land will be regenerated, and the public image of water and forest-resource-conscious firms improved,” Faturrohman said.
A Memorandum of Understanding and a contract of cooperation have been made to strengthen ties between LMDH, Perhutani in Pasuruan and the YKS.
East Java Perhutani’s move comes as part of the Community Participation in Forest Management (PHBM) program, Pasuruan Forest deputy administrator Eka Muhamad Ruskanda said.
“Basically, forest community members are invited to play an active role in restoring, managing and … conserving forested areas in Java,” Ruskanda told the Post.
Bintoro W. Prabowo, a public outreach and communications specialist of the Environmental Services Program (ESP), USAID -East Java, mentioned the necessity of involving more private firms in foster forest programs like the Jatiarjo project.
“It is a form of reforestation involving forest village communities best suited to this area….
“It is now time to shift from the previous single-player system to a multi-player concept,” Bintoro said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
April 30th, 2008
Pancaran Kembang Api Bisa Dilihat sampai Tretes
Pembukaan pesta diskon terbesar Surabaya Shopping Festival (SSF) 2008 besok ditandai dengan peluncuran kembang api serentak di mal-mal peserta SSF. Bagaimana persiapannya?
IGNA ARDIANI ASTUTI
Besok, genta Surabaya Shopping Festival (SSF) 2008 mulai ditabuh. Pesta diskon terbesar tahun ini pun siap dinikmati warga metropolis selama satu bulan penuh. Sebagai even wisata belanja yang diharapkan menyedot pengunjung luar kota, pembukaan SSF 2008 diharapkan berlangsung heboh.
Untuk itu, pesta kembang api sebagai penanda dibukanya even istimewa tersebut tengah disiapkan. Dalam pelaksanaannya, mal-mal peserta SSF 2008 sepakat menyajikan yang terbaik. Lima mal, yaitu Tunjungan Plaza, Supermal Pakuwon Indah (SPI), Royal Plaza, ITC Mega Grosir, dan Hi-Tech Mall memercayakan persiapan pesta kembang api tersebut kepada Singky Soewadji, owner Ayu Promotion.
Senin (28/4), ketika Jawa Pos bertandang ke markas Singky di kawasan Sutorejo Prima, kesibukan sudah terlihat. Tiga orang pegawai Singky sibuk mengeset kembang api. Pertama, kembang api-kembang api yang ada di dalam selongsong dikeluarkan, lalu dibungkus dengan aluminium, lantas dilapisi plastik. Setelah itu, sumbu kembang api diganti kabel. “Sudah lima hari ini anak buah saya ngeset kembang api. Mereka lembur mulai pagi sampai pagi lagi,” kata Singky.
Singky menjelaskan, kembang api harus diperlakukan seperti itu agar efisien sekaligus melindungi dari lembab. “Sumbu diganti kabel agar bisa dihubungkan ke alat pemicu. Jadi, menyalakannya tidak dilakukan secara manual satu per satu dengan api. Tapi, langsung otomatis,” jelas pria 48 tahun tersebut.
Sebelum disiapkan seperti itu, kembang api-kembang api tersebut menjalani proses re-checking. Proses itu untuk melihat ada atau tidaknya kembang api yang cacat sehingga kemungkinan tidak bisa meletus.
Mengingat even pembukaan SSF 2008 sudah semakin dekat, pekerjaan berlangsung ekstracepat. “Hari ini (Senin, 28/4) deadline nge-set langsung cek lokasi. H-1 memasang kembang api di lokasi mal,” jelasnya. Untuk itu, Singky mengerahkan puluhan anak buah. Setidaknya, ada 32 orang yang siap dikerahkan untuk acara opening nanti. “Harus siap banyak. Sebab, lokasi yang disiapkan juga banyak,” katanya.
Untuk opening SSF 2008, Singky menggunakan kembang api khusus even-even besar. “Seperti kembang api yang digunakan pada pembukaan Pekan Olahraga Nasional (PON),” jelasnya. Sekali letus, kembang api tersebut mampu membubung hingga 30 meter. Pun, diameter kembang api tersebut lebih dari 10 meter. “Parade kembang api ini bisa dilihat sampai luar kota. Dari Tretes saja akan kelihatan,” lanjutnya.
Di setiap mal disiapkan 23 buah kembang api. Ada lima variasi dari dua jenis kembang api dengan total tembakan mencapai 262 letusan. “Durasinya sekitar tiga sampai lima menit,” jelas Singky.
Persiapan serupa juga dilakukan Town Square Surabaya. Bahkan, menurut Promo Entertainment Town Square Surabaya Chatrin Setiowati, persiapan hampir 100 persen. “Kembang apinya sudah diset, sudah survei lokasi juga. Tinggal dipasang pada 1 Mei,” jelasnya. Nanti, kembang api-kembang api itu bakal diletakkan di second level roof dengan arah ledakan menghadap ke atrium supaya meriah. “Durasi ledakannya empat menit dengan total 260-280 letusan,” tandasnya.
Di World Trade Center (WTC) Surabaya, pengelola memilih lantai enam untuk peluncuran kembang api. Menurut Marketing Manager WTC Surabaya Dewi Ayda, durasi kembang api sekitar tiga sampai lima menit dengan jumlah letusan 200-300. “Kembang apinya mungkin tidak terlalu besar, yang penting semarak,” ujar perempuan ramah itu. (tia)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
April 30th, 2008
Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Sunday asked public and government officials to fight land speculators who have impeded the development of infrastructure facilities in the country.
“The fight is against the land speculators who are disrupting the development of infrastructure facilities,” he said when inaugurating a number of infrastructure projects in East Java.
The president said land speculators harmed both the public and the state which must pay land at higher prices than the normal ones.
He said the government had adopted a clear mechanism of paying compensation to the people whose land was affected by the government`s infrastructure projects to avoid irregularities.
“Don`t let the people live in poverty while at the same time land speculators reap billions of rupiahs in profits. The general public deserve proper compensation. I don`t want the development of infrastructure facilities to stagnate just because land cannot be cleared due to speculators` act,” he said.
The infrastructure projects inaugurated by the president included a 12.8 km turnpike linking Waru to Juanda Airport in Surabaya at a cost of Rp1.288 trillion, a rented low-cost apartment at Tambak Sawah village in Sidoarjo district at a cost of Rp23.63 billion and a rented low-cost apartment in Kebomas subdistrict, Gresik district, at a cost of Rp15.29 billion.
On the occasion, the president also presented Rp808.81 billion in aid to East Java Governor Imam Utomo to finance the national program for people`s empowerment (PNPM) in the province and handed 6,000 packages of basic necessaries for the poor.
He expressed hope the program would help the government lower the number of poor people which has reached 36 million.
The program includes the provision of rice, healthcare, scholarships, cash assistance and subsidy to the poor.
Under the program, the government has set itself a target of channeling Rp3 billion to each subdistrict by 2009 to finance the program at a subdistrict level.
“I hope the fund will not be misused. It must reach subdistricts and villages for the benefit of the people,” he said.
The president`s entourage included Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, Minister/State Secretary Hatta Rajasa, Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno, State Minister for the Environment Rahmat Witoelar and State Minister for Public Housing M Yusuf Asyari. (*)
Source: ANTARA News
April 29th, 2008
Retno K. Djojo ,ﾃつ Contributor ,ﾃつ Purwodadi
A timber supply shortage in the country has resulted in a price increase in paper pulp, which is threatening the paper production industry.
The management of Purwodadi Botanical Gardens in East Java, however, says it can address this problem with the cooperation of other concerned parties.
The Sengon Buto tree, or Giant Sengon (Enterolobium cyclocarpan), can reach a height of more than 10 meters and a circumference of some 3 meters at its trunk base.
Cultivating the Sengon Buto, a soft white-wood tree, would be profitable, the management asserts, as it would boost the nation’s paper production and prevent forests from being converted into plantations by paper industries.
The Purwodadi Botanical Gardens management has been engaged in an exchange program with several countries to also enrich its collection of plant species.
The 85-hectare park houses some 400 plant species, including trees like the Jacaranda obtusifolia from the U.S. and the Kegelia africana, or Buah Gada tree, and Adamsonia digitata, or Asam Londo from Africa.
A tree originating from Guinea, the Courapita guineanensis, dubbed the Buah Kanon due to the fruit it bears that resembles a cannon ball, is also part of the exchange program.
Built in 1941 on the highway connecting Surabaya to Malang, The Purwodadi Botanical Gardens is one of four major government-owned botanical gardens in the country; the others are the Bogor and Cibodas botanical gardens in West Java and the Eka Karya dry area garden in Bali.
Horticulturists who work at the Purwodadi Botanical Gardens are currently engaged in an intensive study to improve the quantity and quality of cassava and sweet potato species; a major staple food in East Java.
Touring the garden gives visitors the chance to witness a dry landscape of hardy trees thriving in East Java’s limey soil. The trees here have less green foliage compared to those seen in the Bogor Botanical Gardens; nevertheless each tree species is thriving well at an altitude of some 300 meters above sea level.
The gardens even boast some endangered plant species, including the Kepel tree (Stelechocarpus burakel). The tree’s fruit, which is as big as an adult’s fist, is edible and can be used as a deodorant; Central Java aristocrats once used the fruit as a perfume.
Horticulturists are ever-busy enriching the garden’s tree, flower and plant collection. For this purpose, they are prepared to scour the valleys, cliffs and crevices of the dry mountainous areas of East and Central Java, or even go as far as Kalimantan, to carry out comparative studies.
Their hard work has enriched the garden with a wide collection of terrestrial orchid species; it now has 3000 orchid varieties, of which 319 species have been identified.
One of these orchids, the Paphiodellum glancophylla has been made the garden’s signature plant, as seen at the front of the gardens’s entrance gates. This unique terrestrial species has a small purple flower and was detected by Dutch horticulturist J.J. Smith. The flower, which resembles a ladies shoe, is found on the mountain cliffs, valleys and crevices of East Java’s mountainous areas. It has even been found on the slopes of Mt. Semeru at an altitude of some 400 to 770 meters.
But orchid traders, who fetched high prices for the flower during the years 1965 through 1980, depleted the area of the species and put it in danger of becoming extinct.
With a budget of Rp 500 million per year, the Purwodadi Botanical Gardens management team is struggling to preserve the area’s unique flora species.
The management cooperates with educational institutions in an effort to teach future generations to cherish the gift of nature.
It also cooperates with other institutions to prevent the arbitrary felling of trees, which damages the forests that house endangered plant varieties.
Source: The Jakarta Post
April 28th, 2008
SURABAYA - Surabaya berusaha membangun tradisi baru. Yakni, menggelar pawai bunga sebagai pembuka perayaan Hari Jadi Kota Surabaya. Memang, pawai bunga itu baru pertama digelar (sebelumnya, tiap tahun juga ada parade budaya, tapi khusus pawai bunga baru kali ini).
Namun, melihat antusiasme warga, pemkot ingin mentradisikan hal itu tiap tahun. Apalagi, acara semacam itu juga bisa menjadi kegiatan yang bagus untuk menarik wisatawan. Baik wisatawan dalam negeri maupun mancanegara.
Itu pula yang terlihat kemarin. Di antara jubelan warga yang memenuhi tepi jalan mulai kawasan Tugu Pahlawan (lokasi pemberangkatan), Kramat Gantung, Tunjungan, Gubernur Suryo, Jalan Yos Sudarso, hingga Taman Suryo, terdapat beberapa turis mancanegara. Bukan sekadar menyaksikan, mereka juga larut dalam kegembiraan.
Seperti yang tersaji di depan Hotel Majapahit. Seorang tamu hotel bule berjoget mengikuti irama musik tongtong (semacam musik patrol) asal Desa Pasongsongan, Sumenep. Kesenian ini ditampilkan Dinas Pajak.
Wali Kota Bambang D.H. sendiri cukup puas melihat hal itu. Meski mengkritik bahwa selisih keberangkatan satu mobil pawai dengan mobil lain terlalu mepet, orang nomor satu di Pemkot Surabaya itu mengaku bangga dengan semakin banyaknya warga asing yang mengikuti pawai. “Kalau dulu cuma dari Malaysia saja, kini ada WNA dari belasan negara yang ikut,” ucapnya bangga.
Data dari pemkot, pawai kemarin juga diikuti warga asing yang tinggal di Surabaya. Mereka antara lain dari Prancis, Sudan, Mali, Korea Selatan, Myanmar, Aljazair, dan Belanda. “Tahun depan komunitas warga Amerika di Surabaya menyatakan ingin ikut ambil bagian,” imbuhnya, dengan muka berseri-seri.
Parade budaya dan pawai bunga digelar sebagai pembuka rangkaian acara menyambut Hari Jadi Ke-715 Surabaya. Dilepas Wakil Wali Kota Surabaya Arif Afandi sekitar pukul 10.00 di Tugu Pahlawan, peserta berjalan sejauh sekitar empat km menuju Taman Surya. Di sana peserta disambut Wali Kota Bambang D.H. Sekitar pukul 14.00, seluruh peserta pawai telah masuk Taman Surya.
Selama acara berlangsung, lalu lintas di jalan-jalan yang dilalui ditutup. Arus lalu lintas dialihkan ke jalan-jalan sekitarnya.
Sekretaris Panitia Yayuk Eko Agustin mengatakan, selain menghibur masyarakat, acara tersebut membawa dampak ekonomi. “Ada perputaran ekonomi di sana. Penjual bunga yang notabene masyarakat menengah ke bawah bisa merasakan keuntungan. Setelah itu ada multiplier effect positif dari kegiatan ekonomi itu,” papar wanita yang sehari-hari menjabat Kabag Kepegawaian Pemkot itu. (ano/dee/nw)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
April 28th, 2008
JAKARTA, April 24 (Xinhua) — Shuttlers from seven countries are set to take part in the international Indocock Surabaya Mayor’s Cup to be held here on April 29-May 3.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつThe seven countries which had registered with the event’s organizing committee were Malaysia, Singapore, India, Britain, the Philippines, China, and Indonesia, Antara news agency Thursday quoted secretary of the event’s organizing committee Irwan Setiadias saying.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつPreviously, he said on Wednesday in Surabay, the second largest city in Indonesia, the event was only participated in by shuttlers from four countries.
ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつSpokesman of the event Hari Tjahjono meanwhile said the Surabaya mayor would hold a welcome dinner in honor of the annual event’s participants.ﾃつ
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/
April 25th, 2008
Orang Jepang yang terkenal suka melancong langsung dibidik Surabaya Promotion Tourism Board (STPB). Kemarin STPB me-launching buku panduan pariwisata Surabaya dalam bahasa Jepang. Dalam buku yang dicetak full colour tersebut terdapat informasi lebih lengkap tentang Surabaya dan Jawa Timur. Sebelumnya, STPB meluncurkan Sparkling Surabaya Book Guide bahasa Jepang versi hitam putih pada pertengahan 2007 lalu.ﾃつ
Peluncuran guide book berjudul Sparkling Surabaya and East Java kemarin dihadiri Wali Kota Bambang D.H., Kepala Dinas Pariwisata Jatim Harun, Deputy Konsul Jenderal Jepang untuk Surabaya Taniuchi Tetsuro, dan executive director STPB Yusak Anshori. Peluncuran buku dilakukan di ruang sidang Balai Kota Pemkot Surabaya.
Bukan tanpa alasan kali ini versi full colour dengan edisi lengkap diluncurkan. Pasalnya, kata Yusak, Jepang memiliki potensi pasar cukup besar di Surabaya dan Jawa Timur. Buku itu akan disebarkan ke 25 perkumpulan Japan Club dan seluruh provinsi di Indonesia.
Yusak menyebut, wisatawan yang berkunjung ke Jawa Timur pada 2006 mencapai 4.753 orang. Pada 2007, jumlahnya meningkat menjadi 5.394 orang, atau naik 13,5 persen. “Kami berharap peluncuran buku ini bisa mendongkrak wisatawan Jepang ke Surabaya maupun Jatim.” tuturnya.
Dia menambahkan, saat ini wisatawan Jepang yang berkunjung ke Surabaya menempati peringkat keempat setelah Malaysia, Singapura, dan Taiwan. STPB menargetkan kenaikan wisatawan Jepang tahun ini minimal mencapai 15 persen.
Menurut dia, secara umum tahun ini peningkatan wisatawan ke Surabaya cukup tinggi, yakni mencapai 56 persen. “Lebih baik dibanding Bali yang hanya 23 persen. Namun, kita belum memilah mereka yang datang ke sini untuk berbisnis atau turis murni,” terangnya.
Alhasil, meningkatnya jumlah wisatawan itu juga berimbas terhadap menggeliatnya bisnis hotel-hotel di Surabaya. Ini dibuktikan dengan kenaikan pajak hotel yang diterima pemkot. Berturut-turut pendapatan yang diterima dari pajak hotel pada 2005, 2006, dan 2007 mencapai Rp 119 M, Rp 140 M, dan Rp 159 M.
Peluncuran buku itu, kata Yusak, diharapkan menjadi sarana meyakinkan perusahaan penerbangan supaya ada direct flight dari Jepang ke Surabaya dan sebaliknya.
Wali Kota Bambang D.H. menambahkan, wisatawan Jepang memiliki keunikan tersendiri. Mereka tidak mengenal musim berlibur. “Mereka bisa berwisata kapan saja. Tak hanya para muda-mudi, mereka yang berusia tua. Karena Jepang sendiri dikenal dengan usia harapan hidup yang tinggi di dunia,” tuturnya.
Karena itu, kata Bambang, pemkot akan terus menggalakkan perbaikan infrastruktur maupun keamanan kota. “Faktor keamanan menjadi penunjang untuk menarik wisatawan di kota ini,” terangnya. (kit/nw)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
April 25th, 2008
PUSAT Kebudayaan Prancis (CCCL) Surabaya kembali mengadakan Festival Musim Semi Prancis di Surabaya. Pada tahun keempat penyelenggaraan festival tersebut, diadakan pameran foto bertajuk Memotret Pusaka Budaya. Festival tersebut dilangsungkan mulai hari ini (23/4).
Empat puluh dua foto yang dipamerkan merupakan inventaris pusaka budaya Prancis yang bebas ditonton oleh publik. Foto-foto tersebut adalah hasil jepretan fotografer Andre Malraux mulai 1962 sampai sekarang.
“Pusaka budaya itu bisa apa saja. Tidak harus yang berusia tua,” kata Freddy H. Istanto, vice chairman Surabaya Heritage. Meski demikian, menurut Freddy, tetap ada batasan tahun. “Kalau di Surabaya, dikatakan pusaka jika usia minimal 50 tahun, tapi terawat,” ujarnya.
Wawali Arif Afandi menyambut positif pameran tersebut. “Ini sangat penting. Sebab, (budaya) tidak akan pernah mati,” kata Arif dalam jumpa pers festival tersebut kemarin (22/4). Menurut Arif, festival tersebut menjadi bagian penting bagi Surabaya. “Ada hal yang tidak bisa terpisahkan, terlebih CCCL adalah salah satu bagian dari pusaka Surabaya,” tambahnya.
Rangkaian acara festival tersebut, antara lain, Festival Sinema Prancis di Bioskop Mitra, 26-27 April. “Akan ditampilkan lima film Prancis bertema komedi sampai drama,” kata Herve Mascarau, direktur CCCL. Rangkaian acara musim semi terus berlangsung sampai Juli. (dee/dos)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
April 24th, 2008
SURABAYA - Pesona budaya Jatim dari Kota Ponorogo dan Bondowoso kemarin (20/4) mampir di Taman Budaya Jatim. Kedua kota tersebut sama-sama membawa singa. Yang satu mengusung pertunjukan singobarong atau yang lebih dikenal dengan reog, satu lagi menampilkan singowulung dari Bondowoso.Kedua singa tersebut beradu dalam gelar sehari seni Ponorogo dan Bondowoso di Pendopo Jayengrono, Taman Budaya Jatim.
Pria berkepala macan atau yang disebut kucingan itu muncul dengan dua bujang ganom. Ketiga penari tersebut menampilkan gerakan-gerakan tari yang atraktif. Berikutnya, tampil tarian para bujang ganom yang ditarikan 5 penari. Yang terakhir, barulah muncul sang dhadhak merak ditemani para penari jatilan dengan kuda lumpingnya. Sang dhadhak merak berkepala hitam tersebut bertarung dengan Klono Sewandono. Pertarungan dimenangkan oleh Klono Sewandono. Pertunjukan Reog Obyokan khas Ponorogo itu pun usai. Penonton segera bertepuk tangan.
Selain pertunjukan asal kota Ponorogo itu, para penonton dari segala usia tersebut juga dihibur dengan penampilan kesenian singowulung asal Bondowoso. Singa yang ditampilkan hampir menyerupai barongsai. Anak-anak pun bersorak singa tersebut mendekati mereka.
Kedua penampilan itu diprakarsai Disparta Kabupaten Ponorogo serta Kantor Pariwisata Seni dan Budaya Kabupaten Bondowoso. Penyelenggara acara bertema Etalase Kesenian Etnik Jatim itu adalah Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Pemprov Jatim. (ken/oni)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
April 23rd, 2008
One visit to the historic Indonesian port city of Surabaya will compel food lovers to find a way to save each and every experience of the tongue!
Preserving the sensation of taste while enjoying the cuisines of the world still remains an impossibility. But just one visit to the historic Indonesian port city of Surabaya will compel food lovers to find a way to save each and every experience of the tongue.
Surabaya, capital of East Java province, is the second largest Indonesian city, and one of its most historic sites. Merchant ships began sailing there centuries ago, bringing new goods and culture from around the world into the port, the most important of which is Islam.
But the city is also renowned for introducing the rest of Indonesia to unique cuisine. First on the list is as shocking as it is commonplace in the city: mixed vegetables and cow lips. Called ‘rujak cingur’, the dish is so unique that Indonesians from all parts of the country know it is from East Java.
Visitors to Surabaya can find this special dish in almost every part of the city, from the most expensive restaurant to a street side food stall. One of the most popular places to grab a plate of ‘rujak cingur’ is from the vendors on the historic Embong Blimbing Street in downtown, who serve it up nightly until 2 a.m.
On this street, you can also find other traditional food such as ‘kikil sapi’ (beef tendon), ’soto Madura’ (Madurese style soup) and lamb satay. While you pamper your tongue, street singers with their guitars will soothe your ears.
‘Rujak cingur’ consists of fried bean curd, fried tempeh, rice cake, prawn crackers or krupuk rujak, water spinach, cucumber, pineapple, and a specific part of a cow’s snout, called cingur, in the East Javanese dialect.
It is covered with a special sauce made of black shrimp paste, fried peanuts, fish paste, garlic, cucumber juice, and red chillies, which make the dish hot and spicy.
Diners are advised to eat slowly and take a few deep breaths while eating. The sensation is both hot from the spices and cooling from the refreshing fruits.
“I have been selling rujak cingur for four years, continuing on from my father, who was in the business since 1970,” said Bukhori, a vendor.
Embong Blimbing Street is mainly the turf of traditional food vendors, and is regularly packed with people looking for great tastes at cheap prices. A dish of ‘rujak cingur’ costs only 7,500 rupiah (less than a dollar). But why the cow’s snout?
“Basically, Javanese people don’t want to waste any food, so they use every part of the cow,” said Bukhori, laughing.
“It may seem weird to many people, but I’m telling you, even foreigners try ‘rujak cingur’ when they come to Surabaya though they don’t necessarily need to know the part about the cow’s snout.”
Source: Associated Press
http://lifestyle.in.msn.com/travel
April 22nd, 2008
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