BETAWI DODOL (a flavour meal for Christmas)

Dodol is one of Betawi (Jakarta native ethnic group) special meal. Not only as a meal, Dodol

is stronger of its culture substance. This meal is always served in religious matters day such Lebaran, Idul Adha or Christmas for Nazarene. Betawi people state that Dodol is a ringleader of cookie. Even though there many cookies are served in religious matter day, it is incomplete without Dodol. 

Known as a snack, Dodol is generally brown-darkness and sweet. Differentiate of Betawi dodol with dodol in other areas in Indonesia is its variant taste. Betawi dodol is served in three kind of taste; white ketan, black ketan, and durian. Meanwhile other areas dodol have more twelve tastes. But nowadays, many people believe that Betawi dodol has almost vanished. It is caused by increasingly people who have able to make dodol. To perpetuate and to defend the existence of this native Betawi meal must be implemented appreciation to younger generation. 

Making a quality and really delicious dodol is not easy. It needs a good ability, and longer process. Need eight to twelve hours without stop to scramble. Traditionally made, it is using Tumang (fireplace, made of banana tree root) and firewood.

Raw ingredient of dodol is commonly similar. Consist of ketan rice, red sugar, white sugar and coconut milk. But the election of ingredient effects to the result and taste. Selected ketan disable to mix with other rice or other mixture. And coconut milk should be old coconut, not a green coconut because will effect to durableness.

Prepare the traditional equipment such; kawa (wok, usually made of loam soil) to cook dodol dough, nyiru (a rice sieve, made of bamboo) to clean ketan as a base ingredient, and gelo (a stick to stir). Dodol made by comparison a kilogram of ketan, two kilogram of sugar, and four coconuts to make coconut milk.

Ketan will be refined by using alu and lumpang (a pounder made of wood); coconut will be rasped for making coconut milk. 

Ingredients of Dodol

Way that is going to do is cooking red sugar and white sugar stir, mix coconut milk and ketan (black or white ketan) then stir up. Dodol mixer is usually done by men who have good fit body. Because when we mix dodol with gelo in kawa needs stronger power. And the mix man also understand how to determine sort of charcoal used. A good charcoal usually used is litchi fruit wood. Charcoal used emits smock make dodol smell sangit (scorched), and smock taste. Mix man also knows charcoal warm level beneath kawa. Dodol will be bantet (imperfectly ripe), if charcoal warm level is unbalance. Dodol appearance can be likely is not exotic after ripe, but the taste is unbelievable delicious. Dodol will be endured for months. Although dodol outer looked solid, it’s soft inner. 

Stir never stop to get well and delicious 

Charcoal warm level is attended to avoid scorched 

Central produce of Betawi dodol can be found in Condet (Eastern Jakarta), Kalibata (Southern Jakarta), Eastern Pejanten (Monday Market, southern Jakarta), Cenger village (Sukatani, Bekasi regency), Bekasi, Pondok Gede (Bekasi), depok, then Bojong and Jonggol (Bogor regency). 

PARKOUR Art of Motion

Arts are born from wrestling of human being. Most people identification, parkour as a hard and extreme sport. Parkour is not an extreme activity at all. It refers to physique drill, similar drill in military.

It started in French, stream to Japan, growing and blooming in Indonesia. Parkour or l’art du deplcement (motion art) is an activity which intends to move from one place to another quickly and efficiently, using human being body ability principle. Parkour emanate from term parcours du combatant that means hinder-barrier drill for military session. But then “C” in parcours changed by “K”, meanwhile “S” engaged to clear the philosophy of Parkour. “Parkour is philosophy about efficiency”. 

Discovered by David Belle in French ‘parkour’ aimed to practice motion efficiently to build up someone’s body and opinion so that possible to face barriers in dangerous condition. David Belle inspirited by his father Raymond Belle, a French army, then joined with sapeurs pompiers (military fireman). Born in the fireman family, make him inspirited by stories about Heroic. When he was 16 years old, he decided to leave school looking for freedom, action, and improve strength and skill that he has, so that it useful in life, as his father always advised. 

 

David Belle in Benlieu 13 

 David Belle Parkour founder

 Raymond introduced his son about hinder-barrier drill and natural method that finally famous as parkour. Since a moment, David started to play his own scenario after school, how could he escaped from difficult situation. According to David, it can be functional as self-defences in unexpected circumstance. If martial art is mentioned as a shape of fighting drill, parkour is a shape of flight drill. Practitioners of parkour are called traceur. Someone is called traceur when he/she has understood sense, basic, and philosophy of parkour. Traceur comes from term “tracer” that means quickly, speed up (to trace/to go fast).

INDONESIAN PARKOUR COMUNITY

Since 2004 parkour started being enjoyed Younger in a number of areas of Indonesia. According to quotation, up now at least there are 41 towns which have parkour community in entire Indonesia such as; Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Palembang, Padang, Kendari, Bandar Lampung, and Makasar. Even though separated each community interact each other through forums in internet. They share information and even help each other when others are sick.

Generally member of parkour community is 14-19 years old. Despite it is not permanently, they are easier known in their appearing and identification mark such wearing casual canvas shoes, spacious short and balance motion if they are walking.

In Bandung, it has achieved hundred people; each practice can be achieved by tens or hundred people. Training places are spread out some places such ITB campus and Parahyangan University. Distinction town is distinction its applied drill. In Jakarta they usually practice in building and office complex. In Malang they are using nature like trees, hills and big stones as hinder-barrier. Not as other community, parkour community has no competition between them because they actually do not have any competition. They only focus in body treat, mind and physique to run out of barrier as soon as and efficiently. There is no specific style of each Indonesia parkour community; there is only nature adaption in their own self.

In French, parkours prefer to do a jump from a building to another. Meanwhile in Japan, parkours prefer to climb. It might Japanese has base and Ninja technique. But it clearly parkour practical techniques are similarly. They are adoption from cat. That is why pameo is famous in parkours. “Cat is our teacher” because either hands or feet motion jumping and moving are following cats done. It is not startlingly, parkours should do cat walking hundreds meters for basic drill.          

 Parkour community around the world

there is no competition among them 

 PARKOUR PHILOSOPHY 

Resisting Fearful

The one who frighten to try could not be anything and will not be anybody. Every man must be through this process. You will not be life progression, when you can not resist fearful. We can ride motorbike, success businessman, win an offer or the like of it is our braveness resisting our fearful. But remember measure your fearfulness and braveness with courage meter we will act improperly, stupidly, or even got accident when we are too much courageous. Too much discourage thus will be nothing at all. So, balance fearfulness and braveness.

Freedom and Creativity  

We can creatively create motion combine with some basics motion be a new motion depended on our creativity. Similar with our life, we have to be a creativity man so that it can be useful to our life. Beside that parkour teach us freedom moving without resisting regulation.

Flexible and Fluidity    

Parkour will make flexible to your own self and spirit streams forward. Likewise in life when we are in new environment, we think to stay flexible and capable adaptation with new referred environment. Although it at firstly does not make us comfortable. While fluidity make ourselves have spirit that flows to experience life.

Contradict Competition

Some parkours are contradiction with competition and rival in parkour. Competitions are not suitable with philosophy and parkour rate moral that emphasize freedom. Competition will make somebody to subject another watched by many people or it only makes another advantage. Parkour aimed to help others so that human being has the way to think moderation (simple) and have long-life defence physique.

Not an Extreme Sport

Many common people who are watching parkour videos consider parkour is an extreme sport and classify it with skateboard, bmx, others. So that many people determine to do dangerous motion that can be affected an injury. Parkour is not only related to our courage, but it very cohesively to be related with mature mind, physique practical, and continuously technique. Motions that are done by David Belle are the result of a teens-years-old drill.          

DRAGON FRUITS

This fruit is considered to bring blessing in Vietnam and China. Therefore it always put in an altar among two green statues of dragon. Apparent of fruit colour is glaring. Supposedly, because that habit the fruit then well-known as THANG LOY in English called DRAGON FRUIT. It has many specialties such as expediting blood circulation and lessening fever. 

 Dragon fruit is included sort of cactus from Hylocereus clan (just night blossom) and Selenicereus. It comes from Mexico, Central America and South. It is now cultivated in Taiwan, Vietnam, Filipina, and Indonesia. There is also in Okinawa (Japan), North Australia, South Tiongkok.

Dragon Fruit consist of root, stalk, thorn, and fruit. Filament root grows in the ground, meanwhile in upper stalk as a dangle root. Root grows along the stalk in flipper back. The stalk is triangle shape; thorn is shortly and not glaring so that often named “no thorny cereus”. There will be growing flower that has shape like Wijayakusuma in thorn. 

Flower blooming in early dusk, when flower bud has sized 30cm. Outer crown is cream, blooming about 9 pm. Came after inner crown is white cleanly, contained a number of yellow thread pollen. Spout flower opened fully in midnight. That is why also well-known as “night blooming cereus”. When it is fully blooming, it spread out fragrant smell. This fragrant is to entice bats and other nocturnal small creatures in order to pollinate flower. If blooming flower does not sheds, it will be growing be a fruit.

Nowadays, man people are consuming dragon fruits. Usually in fresh fruit as a remover thirsty. Dragon fruit contains highly degree water, about 90 percent of hefty fruit. Its taste sweet because contains Sugar degree 13-18 briks. It able served in juice, extract fruit, sweets, jam or several of other food servings. Today many restaurants display this eccentric fruit in display window benefit to fascinate attention.   

ADVANTAGE

Some experts admitted that dragon fruit rich of potassium, ferum, protein, fibre, sodium, calcium that benefit for health. According to AL Leong from Johncola Pitaya Food R&D, organization who is researching dragon fruit, Fruit of “honest cereus” rich of vitamin and mineral which exceedingly aid to increase power of resistance, and benefit for body metabolism.

The outcome of research, red dragon fruit, is splendid for blood circulation system. Also giving effect of decreasing emotional pressure and neutralize toxic in blood. Researchers are also telling that this fruit can prevent bowel cancer, besides prevent content of highly cholesterol in blood include decreasing degree of fat in our body.

Dragon fruit contains protein that able increasing body metabolism and keep heart healthy. Its fibre prevents bowel cancer, diabetes, and diet. Whereas its carotene benefit to eyes healthy, strengthen brain and prevent disease come in. Calcium benefit to strengthen bone, beside that its iron substance for blood supplement, B1 vitamin to prevent fever, B2 vitamin to decrease desire for food. B3 vitamin to decrease cholesterol degree, And C vitamin to increase smoothness, refinement skin, include prevent acne. Content of dragon fruit such as; sugar degree 13-18 briks, water 90%, carbohydrate 11.5g, acidic 0.139, protein 0.53g, fibre 0.71g, calcium 134.5mg, phosphorous 8.7 mg, magnesium 60.4 mg, and C vitamin 9.4 mg.

 VARIETIES

Name of dragon fruit refers to a fruit that can be eaten, from plants sort:

     1.      Hylocereus undatus, it red, and white fruit flesh colour

     2.      Hylocerues polyrhizus, it pink and red fruit flesh colour

     3.      Selenicereus megalanthus, fruit skin is yellow and fruit flesh is white colour, and

     4.      Hylocereus costaricensis, fruit is a light red colour

Dragon fruit is not many yet cultivated in Indonesia but a number of areas have been cultivating such as Mojokerto, Jember, Malang, Pasuruan, Banyuwangi, Ponorogo, Batam and Belo (Kupang).