Fwd: Re: Fwd: Re: nasi goreng (1938, 1939)

[Beverly Flanigan]

Here's a comment on "nasi goreng" by a Javanese/Indonesian colleague of mine.

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>Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 11:58:24 -0500
>From: Suharni Soemarmo <soemarms at ohio.edu>
>To: Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at ohiou.edu>
>Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: nasi goreng (1938, 1939)
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>Thanks Bev.
>
>Actually fried rice "nasi goreng" is not complicated. What is intended is
>probably "nasi rames", a small version of "rijstafel,"  a 21-course
>dinner. The rice is put on a plate with at least ten kinds of side dish,
>usually without sauce.
>
>Suharni
>
>
>>>                      ;
>>>Date:         Fri, 7 Jan 2005 08:10:47 -0800
>>>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
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>>>From: lanang lanang <al_milan1 at YAHOO.COM>
>>>Subject:      Re: nasi goreng (1938, 1939)
>>>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
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>>>I am Indonesian, to be more specific I am Javanese. What Mr. ZImmer
>>>wrote  is correct about nasi goreng: there's no standard way of making
>>>nasi  goreng and what ingredients are used. However, there are certain
>>>exact  similarities among those differences: you must grind all
>>>ingredients  (spices), like cabai, salt, onion, garlic, before you star
>>>frying the  rice, and the result of grinding here is "sambel ulek" (not
>>>sambel  ulik")  :). And most people will use soy sauce (kecap) and egg.
>>>Most  chinese restaurants in Indonesia consider nasi goreng as their
>>>main food  to sell. Besides all the ingredients I mentioned earlier,
>>>the chinese in  Indonesia will put (optionally) shrimp, sausage, meat
>>>balls (we call it  here bakso), squid, ham, lamb, even petai or pete
>>>(small look-like-nut  vegetable and can cause smell in your mouth and
>>>urine after consuming it;  this is loved by many lower middle people[and
>>>some upper middle, but they  wouldn't admit it  :p  ]). hopefully this
>>>info will benefit our understanding about fried rice...
>>>
>>>A. Lanang
>>>
>>>Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:
>>>
>>>OED3 has 1958 for "nasi goreng" (Indonesian/Malaysian fried rice). I'm
>>>sure Barry can do better, but here are LA Times cites from 1938 and
>>>1939...
>>>
>>>
>>>Los Angeles Times, May 23, 1938, p. III4/5
>>>FRIED RICE (Nasi Goreng)
>>>As its Malay name implies, this consists basically of rice fried until it
>>>is brown. There is no uniform recipe by which other ingredients are
>>>determined; individual taste and chance as to ingredients available are
>>>determining factors, with the result that the dish is never the same in
>>>any two households. Usually small cubes of meat, fish or chicken are
>>>fried with the rice. Sliced onions and cocoanut may be included. Spices
>>>used include paprika and "sambal ulik" (very hot red pepper).
>>>
>>>Los Angeles Times, Sep 4, 1939, p. II2/8
>>>At the Dutch East Indies restaurant I found a 21-course feast called
>>>Rijstaffel.
>>>"What," I inquired of the beturbaned brown man who brought the 16th
>>>offering, "is this tasty dish?"
>>>"Nasi goreng."
>>>"Thank you," I said, "and tell me, do you Javanese fear a Japanese
>>>invasion?" "Nasi goreng."
>>>
>>>Los Angeles Times, Sep 24, 1939, p. I11/2
>>>A great many Javanese dishes would not be practical for home cooking,
>>>because so many spices are needed and must be so skilfully comibned. But
>>>one of the chef's special dishes is entirely practical and very, very
>>>good. He calls it fried rice nasi Goreng, and he has given us the
>>>following recipe.
>>>
>>>
>>>--Ben Zimmer
>