Indonesia IV

Yesterday we went to see some duck farming operations. We learned about the different types (1,2 and 3) and got to see an example of each.

On the way to the farms we passed through a lot of small villages with canals running through them. They (the canals) were between 5-10 feet wide and ran on either side of the street, carrying water to the people in the villages and rice paddies. We saw lots of make-shift toilets hanging over the canals. It looked exactly like in the movie Slum Dog Millionaire. Several meters downstream from the toilets there would be mothers doing their laundry, children swimming and the odd group of ducks swimming about. It was a pretty eye-opening thing to see.

The first farm we stopped at was type 3, which means that all of the ducks are confined at all times. There are probably around 50 or so ducks to a pen. They are mainly used for egg production as duck eggs are eaten quite often in Indonesia. Once their laying days are over they are eaten for meat. It was really interesting to see, but it was incredibly hot. I would say it is the hottest it has been yet...so hot I felt a bit sun stroked/ill.

The next farm we visited was a type 2. This is where the ducks are kept confined but also allowed out into the harvested rice paddies to clean up the field. They eat any left over grain, snails, bugs, etc. and also fertilize the land. The people there were really friendly, and a lady brought out some 'treats' and 'coffee'. They were both very interesting. The treats were these blobs of sticky dough made of rice and rice flour with palm sugar. They were a tan-orange colour and had the consistency of cookie dough...it didn't taste bad, but also didn't taste good. The coffee was also very interesting. They just mix the ground coffee into hot water and serve. The grounds eventually settle to the bottom of the clear drinking glass they serve it in, but you still end up with specks in your teeth. The whole time I was drinking it I was just hoping that the water didn't come from the canals...

We also had the opportunity to stop at a pig farm, which is very uncommon for a Muslim country. The farmers were Chinese and welcomed us to their farm. It was hot and stinky, and the pile of rotting vegetables meant as feed almost made me throw up. I'm glad we went though.

The last duck operation we visited was a type 1, where the ducks are always on the rice paddies and the farmer is always with them. He herds them in at night (which is when they lay their eggs) and camps with them all of the time. The farmer will move them from one field to another once every 1 or 2 months. It was really cool to see since nothing like that exists in Canada. A lot of kids followed us into the rice paddies, some yelling 'Boulais' and others playing shy. A pushing match broke out and 4 kids ended up in the paddie water and crying...kids are kids wherever you go!

For lunch we stopped at a roadside restaurant for BBQ chicken. In a lot of the restaurants (who am I kidding? in ALL of the restaurants) they cook all of the food first and have it on display in the window for however long it is around for. No refrigeration. The lady took our chicken from the window and put it on the grill to heat it up. Before the chicken was ready, Matt noticed that his 'Sambal' (which is a spicy chili mix served on the side that you can add to your food) was moving. It was full of worms...we all decided not to eat ours, except Ryan...
I decided to be adventurous and ate the heart of my chicken. It didn't taste bad, but also didn't taste great. I probably wouldn't eat it again. When you get chicken here it is often quartered and has the kidneys, heart and lungs still attached as they are considered delicacies.

It was an interesting day overall. Very long though! We were completely exhausted in the end.

Today we went to visit a native chicken producer. The native chickens here are much more expensive than your typical broiler chickens and take longer to grow. I guess you could say it is considered a niche market here, and it is something that has really expanded over the past few years. Supposedly they (the native chickens) taste quite a bit better than regular broilers, however I don't taste a difference!

The farm we visited was way up in the mountains. It was a long trek! Most of the day was spent driving. The road was so incredibly bumpy going up to the farm. I was a bit worried we were going to blow a tire!!! The farm was interesting and the farmers were really friendly. They showed us their hatchery, their breeding barn and the birds they were growing...
They cooked us some native chicken for lunch some fried (like most of the food here) and some was in a soup with chicken organs floating in it. We all sat on the floor and ate with our hands. Authentic Indonesian style! They had delicious 'Sambal' for us to mix into our rice, and a salted fish sambal with peanuts too. I mixed the soup broth into my rice with some sambal...it was delicious!

On the way back to CIVAS we stopped at a place that had ram fighting. The man who owned the place was an Indonesian millionaire involved in the oil industry. He had a massive absolutely beautiful house made of wood and stone. It almost looked like a skiing lodge. The grounds around his house consisted of ponds filled with hundreds of Koi fish (which are around $1500 US a fish) and really modern and clean housing for his 150 fighting rams. He brought out two to show us how they fight and explained a bit about judging the fights and more about this Indonesian tradition. I was surprised with the control that each person had over their ram. They would simply clap and the rams would stop charging at each other. It was very interesting, however I doubt it fly in Canada due to the animal welfare issues surrounding it...

Anyways, today was another long day but it was not as hot. What a nice change!

I think that's all for now!