Stories

When Food Is Shaped by Belief, Ritual, and Environment In many parts of the world, rats are associated with disease, urban waste, and fear. In Tomohon, a highland city in North Sulawesi, the meaning is different. Here, rats appear in markets not as symbols of neglect, but as part of a long-standing food tradition rooted […]

When Eating Means Not Wasting In many food cultures, preference is guided by flavor, texture, or presentation. In parts of North Sumatra—particularly among Karo Batak communities—food has historically been shaped by a different principle: nothing should be wasted. Trites emerges from this worldview. Often misunderstood from the outside, trites is not designed to impress or

When Food Is Shaped by Environment, Movement, and Custom In many parts of the world, food is separated from conflict, travel, or endurance. It is something eaten at home, prepared in advance, and consumed at rest. In parts of Papua, however, food has long been inseparable from movement, environment, and survival—even during times of inter-tribal

When Young Coconut Shell Becomes Food In many parts of the world, a coconut shell is something to be discarded—hard, fibrous, and inedible. In western Bali, however, the story is different. In the regency of Jembrana, communities have long prepared lawar klungah, a traditional dish made from klungah—the soft inner shell of a young coconut.