In Solo, people do not mess around with their food. When it comes to eating, there is not a separation of when to eat savory and when to eat dessert. On July 30, 2019, ETA Maria Isabel “Isa” Nieves realized this quickly when she had dinner with a co-teacher, Asri, who ordered a hot chocolate with her meal. Isa is accustomed to eating salty food first then a sweet dessert at the end of her meal. She was comfortable with the expectation of flavors that belong to a specific order in a restaurant setting. However, her first week in Solo was full of surprises, and the most significant one was the food culture.

Not only did Isa chuckle when the hot chocolate arrived, but her eyes opened wide in astonishment when two chicken feet were served on a plate with rice and veggies. Isa told Asri how some people in the US only eat chicken wings, breasts, and legs. To this, the co-teacher replied, “We don’t waste parts of the chicken in Indonesia.” Then, Isa replied, “And people don’t waste time either, waiting till the end for dessert.”

Maria Isabel “Isa” Nieves is currently teaching at SMKN 7 Surakarta, Central Java