Going on Vacation to Garut, West Java (Part III)

WRONG CHOICE

For lunch this time, we tried to choose a restaurant located on the main road in Garut. Actually we wanted to eat at the restaurant which was recommended by a friend, but because it was far, we were so reluctant. Finally the choice fell to a restaurant with the slogan "Eat at gazebos above the water". Actually, it was a pretty place, in the main street, there gazebos above-water with big fish swimming around, there were wooden houses in the background that looked sad, but the atmosphere was quiet. There were no other visitors there.

Then we ordered food. Like other Sundanese restaurants, the menu almost the same. We ordered white rice, karedok (Sundanese vegetables salad), tamarind vegetables, grilled chicken, fried squid with flour, avocado juice, soursop juice and milk tea.

After a long wait, the food came. I tasted them. Unfortunately they did not taste good. Too much salt on karedok and fried squid; plain taste of tamarind vegetable; there was a strange taste, even bitter on avocado juice. Ho ... ho ... no wonder no other visitors stop by here. Because of hunger, we ate them all…. Ha..ha…

When paying at the cashier, I saw the waitress at the restaurant were sitting, dazed awaits visitors. The atmosphere was grim. In my heart I also felt sorry for them, if there’s no visitor came, and it happened on and on, they might lose their jobs because restaurant got bankrupt. Maybe the management should think about a new proficient chef?

DODOL GARUT

The next event was traveling around the city of Garut. We went around the town without any direction, turn right, turn left, and went straight ahead, enjoying a cool little town. Passing by Great Mosque of Garut, schools, offices, and shops, we tried to find something unique. When we saw the stores that sold souvenirs, we stopped. The shop owner greeted us with his big smile. We were invited in, and he said we could taste various kinds of dodol Garut. Dodol was a traditional snack made from brown sugar, glutinous rice flour, fruits, and other ingredient.

When I was little girl, my relatives often gave me dodol Garut. Dodol was inside the box, it brand was “Picnic”. It wrapped in paper. The color of dodol was dark brown, sweet, but I did not like the taste. It happened on and on, always the same dodol.

But this time, there were many kinds of dodol stored in the transparent boxes. There were colorful. There were dodol wrapped in clear plastic, some are wrapped with leather corn "This dodol made from potato, this is made from strawberry, this is made from mango, and then this is made from soursop." The shopkeeper said. "And this is the best choice; this is very good, made from red beans. There are also made from green beans, and there is also the black sticky rice. "

I and children ate many kinds of dodol. The taste were so good, so different with dodol Garut I ate when I was a kid. I like the red beans dodol the most. But potato dodol and green beans dodol were also yummy.

The price were various , start from Rp. 18,000; Rp. 20.000,; Rp. 22,000, -; Rp. 24 000, - to the most expensive Rp. 32 000, - per kilogram.

After buying dodol, leather crackers, nut ting-ting, bajigur and bandrek (beverage made from ginger and brown sugar), we went back to the hotel.