Bone Marrow soup

I tried this quirky food during my stay in Medan. My cousins asked whether I like bone marrow soup and I replied "Yes!" even though I had never tried one but I said that because I do like to suck the bone marrow after eating fried chicken. I thought it would be something similar.

They brought me to "Sop Sumsum Langsa" which is quite famous for its bone marrow soup. Even Bondan Winarno, an Indonesian culinary expert, recommended this place in one of his articles.

When the soup actually came, I was quite surprise to see this huge bone on my plate. The bone is from a cow's leg because the bone marrow is plenty and easier to process.

The way you eat it is by "slurping" the bone marrow using the straw.

Because it was not what I expected, it did take some time for me to get over the psychological barrier of slurping white gooey stuff out of a cow's leg. With every slurp, I couldn't stop thinking how this must be high in cholesterol! So I didn't enjoy it that much, but it was quite an experience. If you get the chance, please try it!

Becak Motor in Medan

There are so many forms of public transportation in Indonesia. One of them is the Becak, i.e. pedicab.

Unfortunately, pedicabs are banned in Jakarta now, although you can still find some in the suburbs. I have fond memories from elementary school where I would go home with a pedicab and feel the cool wind blowing into my face (those days, Jakarta was less polluted of course). I remember the soft creaking sound as the driver pedals the bike. I just love riding them! That is why, every time I go to the smaller cities in Indonesia, I would try to take a trip on a becak.

In Medan, the becak is motorized and is called Becak Motor (shortened as BeTor). The driver is on the side, instead of at the back. Last time I went to Medan, I used a Becak Motor to go to the major tourist sights (note though I went on a Sunday morning so less traffic / pollution). At the end, the driver was kind enough to let me take a picture of him. I must say, he wasn't camera shy!

The covering (that plastic window in front of the passenger side) is usually foldable so when it is a nice day, it would be folded up and then folded down when it rains. The day I went on this becak was actually a very nice day, but I found the cover was quite handy to keep dust out of my eyes :)