Now I’m not going to lie I was looking forward to today’s activity. A trip to a local market and a Balinese cooking class.
If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I’m a bit of a foodie and love to cook. So 5 weeks of not doing any food prep I was excited to learn some new skills. Today did not disappoint.
I was picked up from my hotel at 7.30 and taken to the meeting point. Once all of the group has arrived we headed to the local market. The first stall we stopped at was the stall which sold the items required for the offering. Now bare with whilst I get the facts correct (I’ve noticed that there is a class where you learn how to make it, I may book in for Thursday, we shall see). A typical Balinese Hindu offering, the canang sari, includes flowers, cooked rice, incense (dupa), holy water (tirta), sweets or small treats, and small symbolic items like coins or pandan leaves. These offerings are daily acts of gratitude and a way to maintain balance with the spiritual world. There are 6 parts to them:
1. Flowers (sekar): Vibrant flowers are central to the offering, with specific colors sometimes representing different prayers or deities.
2. Cooked Rice (rarapan): A symbol of prosperity and sustenance, rice is a common and essential component.
3. Incense (dupa): Incense sticks are burned, believed to act as a bridge to the spiritual realm and carry prayers to the gods.
4. Holy Water (tirta): After the offering is made, it’s sprinkled with holy water to consecrate it and bless the surroundings.
5. Sweets or Small Treats: Small cookies, crackers, or other sweets are often included to add a personal touch to the offering.
6: Small coins or even fragrant pandan leaves can be added to further symbolize generosity and add a sweet scent to the offering
We then learnt all about the ingredients that were going to make up the pastes, the basis of the foods we were going to cook. Now apparently if you want to get rid of garlic breath you must do the following, eat parsley, followed by orange and black tea. There’s clearly a reason why you get a shabby piece of parsley and a slice of orange on top of the pointless bit of salad from an Indian takeaway. You also use shallots rather than red onion as they don’t burn as easily, oh and the word sate (satay) means skewer not peanut, as most would believe.
On to the cooking class. I was on a table with 2 ladies from London (one was a drama/English teacher) and an Italian couple, not going to lie the bloke was a waste of time when it came to chopping!
The menu:
- Base be Siap (paste for chicken and meat)
- Base be Pasih (paste for fish)
- Ayam Betutu – Bali (roast chicken in banana leaf)
- Be Celeng Base Manis (Pork in sweet soy sauce)
- Urab Jagung (sweetcorn and coconut snack)
- Sate Ayam (Chicken skewers)
- Tum Ayam (minced chicken in banana leaf)
- Lawar (green bean salad with chicken)
- Pesan Be Pasih (grilled fish in banana leaf)
- Pecelan (vegetable salad in peanut dressing)
- Mie Goreng (fried noodles)
- Nasi Goreng Ayam (fried rice with chicken)
Once all the food was prepared and cooked we got to eat it. My personal faves, the green bean salad with chicken (may appear next week at work), the pork in sweet soy sauce, the chicken skewers and the rice and noodles! It was all great if I’m being honest.
After the lunch I made my way back to the hotel. I could’ve taken a taxi, instead I walked the 7km ish walk back along the beach path. I suppose if you are eating and drinking it’s good to exercise, although it was sweaty. Two things that really have baffled me over here:
- The traffic – mopeds and cars coming at all angles and no pedestrian crossings. You just have to back yourself and go for it.
- The electrical grid, see photo below. There’s just wires everywhere. I’m no electrician but I feel that this is not the most efficient way of providing electricity and I would dread to be the person who needs to find the faulty wires.
Whilst writing I have a 3rd item which isn’t something which baffles me, just annoys me. The constant Ma’am or Lady would you like…no I bloody well don’t want a hair braid or a beer or a bracelet or a massage, if I wanted one I would ask or look in my own time. It made 4km of the 7km quite a stressful walk, at one point I did think perhaps I should just reply in Spanish that I don’t speak English 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️ and I would categorically not go into a bar called the Casanova Bar with the quote “suck my piss!” Even I have standards.
The rest of the day involved me reading my booking, and catching some rays by the pool. I was at a predicament of what to eat as I really didn’t fancy anything heavy. I ended up with fries. Not the ideal but didn’t want a “meal” I will regret it on Sunday when I hop on the scales 🙄🙄.
Flying Solo 