The Peace Corps allowed me to discover my true love language: food

During my Peace Corps interview I had to explain my flexibility regarding diet, and how I would cope if I had to give up vegetarianism. I mentally prepared myself to do this in the months leading up to departure.

Little did I know that living in Indonesia is super easy for us veggie lovers. The variety of fruits and vegetables are endless. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the amount of healthy foods I've been able to find in local markets and grocery stores. There are still days where you have to dig the chicken foot out of your soup and pretend you didn’t just see half a carcass, but that’s flexibility, right?

Even with the variety of fruits and vegetables, staying healthy in Indonesia has been a struggle. Before coming to Indonesia, I never ate fried foods but now I find myself eating something fried almost daily. Fried tempeh, fried tofu, bakwan, noodles, rice ... the list goes on.

Finding a healthy balance can sometimes be a struggle, especially if you are offered food and want to be polite and not refuse it. And let’s be honest, fried foods are delicious!

To cope with this, I try to cook three daily meals for myself. It has become one of my favorite things to do with my host family because we are able to learn together, try new things, and sit down as a family. My host mom is now a bell pepper, butternut squash, guacamole-loving lady. She said she lived her 50 years without trying new vegetables but now she loves trying new foods and swears that everything I cook is “sehat” (healthy). I don’t have the heart to tell her that doughnuts and chocolate cake are actually not healthy.

Not only has cooking been my number one stress reliever, it has become a way for me to share cultures from around the world. My students have enjoyed pad Thai, spring rolls, beignets, guacamole, tacos, churros, salsa and hamburgers—all while learning about cultures and holidays from around the globe.

My host family has also taught me how to make Indonesian staples that I will happily make back in America. I’ve learned to make my favorites such as soerabi, bakwan, cap cay, and even rendang. We have shared so much through cooking, that it has become one of my favorite aspects of service.

Cooking was never a hobby until joining the Peace Corps. I couldn’t be happier with the skills and recipes I have learned while being here. I make western food once a week for my host family. Every Monday, I whip up something special for my host family to try. They love inviting the neighbors over to try the new foods. 

My favorite dishes I have made here in Indonesia are tacos, hamburgers and lasagna. When I made tacos, I used black beans that I had brought from America. My host brother loved them so much that I gave him some dried beans and he planted his own black bean garden!

I wanted to introduce Italian food to my host family so I made lasagna. This was a difficult task because it calls for cheese that is not available here. I asked my counterpart to bring me fresh cow's milk from her village so I could make homemade cheese. My host family was very skeptical but ended up loving the final product.

When Indonesians think of American food they think of hamburgers. Because of this, I wanted to show my host family what a real American hamburger was like. Even though I don’t eat beef, I received a donation of about five kilos of beef during the Idul Adha holiday. I used this beef to create several hamburgers for the neighborhood. They also enjoyed fresh hamburger buns since bread is hard to find. 

Near the end of my Peace Corps service I visited my hometown and had the beautiful experience of sharing my favorite Indonesian foods with family and friends.

I was so excited to find an Asian market nearby that carried all the traditional staples needed to make Indonesian foods. Indomie (instant noodle brand), rendang (spicy meat dish), kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), and even durian could be purchased within a mile of my home. My entire family gathered to enjoy multiple Indonesian dishes that I whipped up, including rendang, sate ayam, nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (friend noodles), tahu goreng (friend tofu), kolak pisang, lumpia, bakwan and nasi liwet. I feared they would not enjoy it, but to my surprise every bite of food was devoured. Little did I know that joining the Peace Corps would allow me to discover my true love language: food!