{"id":5756,"date":"2019-09-13T06:31:11","date_gmt":"2019-09-13T06:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edasofia.com\/?p=5756"},"modified":"2019-09-13T06:31:11","modified_gmt":"2019-09-13T06:31:11","slug":"the-symphony-in-a-good-meal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/the-symphony-in-a-good-meal\/","title":{"rendered":"The symphony in a good meal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two chefs 12.000 km apart, exchanging continent, restaurant, and life. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A one week, two-way, takeover: Trading Spaces <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Food and music, my dad has always tried to teach me,\nare exquisite pleasures. Not only in themselves, but especially when you\ninclude and consider everything that surrounds them; from the planning to the\nwait, the arrangements, the study, and mainly, the shared joy that you get from\nthem when sampled with people you love and cherish. My dad is one of the\npersons I know to enjoy most sharing joy; which for him is food, music and good\nwine. He is also the person I missed the most throughout this whole experience.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is sometimes quite intricate and unexpected how do things come to be in life. I first heard about Indonesia when I was in Amsterdam. I was travelling with papa and because he always makes an effort to find one of the best dining experiences everywhere we go, he had decided we would try Rijsttafel<\/em>, which is an elaborate meal adapted by the Dutch imitating the presentation of Nasi Padang from the Padang region of West Sumatra. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the only meal I really remember from The\nNetherlands, even though I lived more than six months there\u2026 but I was a\nstudent, in a student budget, and I am not my dad, so please don\u2019t blame me? My\nfirst Rijsttafel<\/em> was so intriguing, colorful, spicy and delicious, that\nIndonesia became a word in my mind. Indonesia, and without even knowing it I\nengraved a desire in my heart that would materialize itself a couple of years\nlater when, from Groningen, where I was studying, I won a scholarship to come\nand live in Bali for three months. From that day until now I have eight thousand\nstories to tell, but I\u2019ll have to save them for another moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward seven years later. I am walking down the streets of Ubud, Bali; trying to find Locavore<\/a>, awarded both the Best Restaurant in Indonesia and the Most Sustainable Restaurant in Asia\u2019s 50 Best Restaurants list of 2019, and I think to myself: \u201cPapa would be so jealous\u201d. But Locavore is nowhere to be seen because in its place stands a higher and more geometric fa\u00e7ade. A wall with painted blue windmills and a sign that indicates: RIJKS\u00ae. Because for whole week Locavore (Ubud, Bali) and RIJKS\u00ae (Amsterdam, Netherlands) take on the challenge of their biggest chef\u2019s event so far: they are Trading Spaces, which means that chef Eelke Plasmeijer exchange continent, restaurant and life with Joris Bijdendijk from 23 to 26 May. And I am going to be able to eat, seven years later, in my current home: Bali, in a Michelin star Dutch restaurant. Here we go\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the exchange, the chefs simultaneously move\ntheir entire restaurant to the other side of the world, so as many lucky people\nsit in the Rijksmuseum\u2019s eating the most fantastic Indonesian food from the\nbest restaurant in Indonesia, I will have the opportunity to be here, in Bali,\nsampling a menu that is one of the best in all of the world, and anticipating\nan unforgettable culinary journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A swap might sound easy, but it is definitely a\ncomplicated task at hand. For it to become a reality more than half of the team\nof each restaurant has traveled around the world, some with sausages and cheeses\nsneakily hidden in their purses, got to meet and work with another team,\nweather, kitchen, markets, produce, working environment, and way of doing\nthings. They have had to adapt and create their signature dished in a\ncompletely foreign and new environment. It is quite a feat indeed and this\nmakes it even more of a circular experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the moment we enter we are in a completely\ndifferent world; the sunflowers and ceramic vases make it very clear that the\nexperience has started. We are received with a broad smile and after sitting\ndown and choosing, naturally, the eight dishes menu, we are presented with\nimpressively presented snacks that lay in ceramic plates with chopped ice or on\ntop of a wooden log. Never in my life did I imagine that a cabbage bouillon\ncould taste so good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And just like a planned play, our chat and laughter are\ninterrupted every twenty to twenty-five minutes by the need to close our eyes\nand savor to the very maximum what has been presented in front of us; in awe,\nrepeating to each other: How can this taste so good? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time in my life, I eat ants, which are\nonly the side to a green gazpacho that tastes like the soup I could have every\nday of my life. The Hamachi and its vinaigrette make me think of Japan and elegant\ndinners with kings and queens. But is it only when we get to the bamboo lobster\nwith its coconut bisque, that I realize eating will never be the same. Who can\ncook like this? I ask myself in disbelief. I close my eyes to feel the flavors\nthroughout my body, to make them linger, to be able to remember so that I can\ntell everyone about them. Will I be able to eat ever again without comparing\neverything to this meal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And in the same grace, with beautiful attention to\ndetails and pairing which I would have never imagined worked so perfectly, we\ncome to the millefeuille<\/em> of beetroot with tomasu beurre blanc<\/em> and\nparsley oil, paired with aged rum and homemade red vermouth. A completely\nvegetarian main dish that still has my head spinning wondering how I can ever\nreplicate it at home and asking over and over again: Why can\u2019t we always make\nthis much from the act of eating?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dairy is not a product used in local Indonesian food,\nthat is why the Holy Trinity of \u201cBlaarkop<\/em>\u201d milk is so appreciated,\nespecially its mix between crunchy and perfectly smooth sweet ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As time passes, we\u2019ve started to talk less and less\nallowing time for what we are experiencing in the company of each other. And we\nknow that we do not have to say anything to communicate because we are sharing\nthis experience, and that makes it even better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As if all the previous delights weren\u2019t enough, there\nare desserts. And what kind of desserts! The Rhubarb with custard and basil\nsorbet cleansed our taste buds preparing us for the most indulgent and\ncomforting mix of warm caramel, cashew nuts, crackers and chocolate nibs in a\ndish called Baobap hangop<\/em>. Life is good, is what I think to myself as I\nfill my mouth with creamy caramel and close all of my other senses in order to\nfeel pleasure enough to last me a whole week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And so, like everything good in life, the meal comes\nto an end, but the experience and the joy lingers. The joy of having spent\nthree hours doing nothing but being pampered by incredible food, service, and\ncompany. Three hours of full presence; because that is what good food makes you\ndo: be exactly in the moment. Now the restaurant is almost empty and a part of\nme doesn\u2019t want to exit Amsterdam and go back into Bali. I\u2019m not trying to brag\nbut give context when I say: I\u2019ve been lucky enough to eat in thousands of\nplaces in my life, and yet I truly believe this has been the best meal I have\never experienced\u2026 And so, we say goodbye, give our thanks and walk to our\nvehicles in silence; because as after any meaningful experience the best is to\nallow it to sink and do its magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I am driving home, unexpectedly I am no thinking\nabout food anymore, but about papa. I\u2019m thinking: How I will ever explain to\nhim what I\u2019ve just experience; how will I convey the flavours and the textures,\nthe smells, the sensations in my body. I know the ingredients; I even have the\nrecipes\u2026 but how can I ever replicate those flavours? And it is then that it\noccurs to me that maybe food is just like music; it is not about each\nindividual note. We can all hit the keyboard in a piano, but how many of us can\nplay a whole song? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A meal such as this one is born from having the patience, the craft, the feeling, to create, replicate and perform a whole marvelous symphony for whoever is there to enjoy. In this case, me. It is all about taksu<\/em>*. And this meal was full of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eda Sof\u00eda, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article written for Locavore<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

**TAKSU is a unique Balinese concept meaning charisma,\nspiritual power and artistic inspiration needed to truly capture eyes, minds,\nand hearts of the audience, both human and divine.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An exchange in which the chefs simultaneously move their entire restaurant to the other side of the world, so as many lucky people sit in the Rijksmuseum\u2019s eating the most fantastic Indonesian food from the best restaurant in Indonesia, I will have the opportunity to be here, in Bali, sampling a menu that is one of the best in all of the world, and anticipating an unforgettable culinary journey. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,13,34],"tags":[258,259,260,261,262,263,264,265],"class_list":["post-5756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-published-work","category-travel","tag-amsterdams-best-restaurant","tag-best-restaurants-in-bali","tag-gourmet-food","tag-indonesia-best-restaurant","tag-locavore","tag-restaurants-in-bali","tag-rijks","tag-trading-spaces","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edasofia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}