The furry undercarriage of Indonesian coffee production

Indonesia produces high quality coffee - or kopi in the national language. In fact Indonesia is the world’s 4^th largest coffee producer by volume after Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia. The country is blessed with everything you need to grow good coffee: steady temperatures, sunshine, rain, and most importantly, fertile soil. Volcanoes create fertile soil, and Indonesia has a lot of those. There are 130 ACTIVE volcanoes in the archipelago, making it the hottest spot of all in the Pacific Ring of Fire. 

You're probably familiar with Indonesian coffees from the major islands. Perhaps you’ve sampled the earthy, smoky beans from Sumatra. Maybe you’ve tried Javanese or Papuan beans. But the smaller islands produce coffee as well - places like the former Portuguese trading centers of Flores and Sulawesi, as well as everyone’s favorite beach getaway, Bali.

Of all the locally-produced coffees, Indonesians may be proudest of Kopi Luwak. This particularly prized cup of joe is produced by harvesting coffee beans that have been eaten, digested and shat by the Asian palm civet.

Excuse me? Yes. You read that correctly. A little raccoon-like critter forages the best berries from the coffee bush. Then, his gut works some kind of amino acid-related magic. When the beans come out the back end, they are collected, roasted, ground, and French-pressed into some primo, grade-A coffee. 

I sampled the civet coffee once. It undoubtedly has a unique flavor. And it’s priced accordingly. We’re talking $50 per pound.

Many people are disgusted when they learn about this unique approach to coffee production. But not everyone. Some see an opportunity. When my father-in-law learned about the price of Kopi Luwak and the civet's important role, he remarked, “What's the civet’s cut of the profits? I’d like to apply for that job. I’m going to make an appointment with my proctologist and get my CV in order.” 

Mosquitos 1, Moyers 0

Making a house a home in Indonesia: Sheets, towels, dishes. Electrically-charged tennis rackets for mosquito combat.

 

We have learned the hard way that no home is complete without one.

Mosquito bites are no joke here. You meet the wrong skeeter and it will put you flat on your ass with Dengue fever.  Indonesian critters, in general, are aggressive. The other day I walked into the bathroom and saw a giant cockroach. I didn’t know what to do with it because I was pretty sure that, unfortunately, cockroaches come with the territory when you live in the tropics.

Hence, we purchased a Racket Nyamauk Elektrik. Its features include: a LED flashlight and, according to the packaging, “a handle and a mesh surface beautifully making the product much more perfect.” The best part about this devices is that you plug it into the wall to charge it.

Since we brought it home, John is suddenly like McEnroe, swatting and swearing all over the house. “The problem with this thing is that it’s never in the room when you need it,” he lamented, followed by, "I need some kind of holster.”

It should be noted that we've yet to actually kill a mosquito with this thing. Mosquitos 1, Moyers 0.

Oh Baby!

INDONESIANS LOVE BABIES. Many people made this remark when they learned we were moving to Jakarta with an infant. I always thought it was an odd thing to say; who doesn't love a baby? But it turns out there is something to this, because Indonesians really do love them some babies.

It's not just old ladies either. It's the taxi drivers and the waitstaff and the entire employ of the nail salon. Even customs agents! In fact, Miles is turning out to be the best passport possible....literally. At passport control, after entering the wrong line, we were passed through with a friendly wave "for the baby". And Miles is quickly learning the value of flirting and the currency of charm. Pretty much every person I've met in this country so far is because of Miles. Thanks, buddy.

For evidence of Indonesian baby love one has to go no further than your local eatery, where, in a matter of minutes, your child will be swept away by a hostess or waiter and entertained for the duration of your meal. We'd been prepped that this was a chief bonus of having a baby in Indonesia. Still, it sounded a bit like an overblown, one-time experience of someone on holiday. Maybe resort waiters looking for a tip hand out free childcare while also serving you chicken satay, but that's not how people roll on a daily basis, certainly not in the capitol city. 

So, imagine my delight when, out of the corner of my eye, I spied the outstretched arms of a waitress in a little Japanese restaurant where we were enjoying lunch. Swoop! She picked him up, overjoyed to have this fat little baby in her arms, like I'd just handed her a sachet of gold. Before I knew it, Miles was no where to be found. But it took a moment to realize this because there was this gorgeous plate of vegetable tempura in front of us accompanied with a side of peace. and. quiet. Eventually, though, I needed to do the responsible thing and locate him.

Locate him I did, in the kitchen, where he was holding court with the entire staff. He'd been passed off to the restaurant manager, and she was holding him up for all the cooks, servers, busboys, and dishwashers to admire. And he was loving every minute of it. This scenario has been repeated nearly every time we've gone out to eat. 


We sit. We ponder the menu. We nearly decide which delicious fruit beverage concoction to order when some waitperson appears, motioning, "can I hold your baby?" And then off he goes to have his photo taken with everyone in the establishment.

It's impossible not to be tickled by this phenomenon. After all, it's hard to imagine something similar happening in the United States. Picture it. You're sitting in the food court at the mall. Shall we have Sbarro or Auntie Anne's? Suddenly, you notice the guy manning the Jamba Juice holding out his hands for your baby. I believe the correct response here would be a call to social services.

But not in Indonesia. Here, it's standard practice. I can't really explain it. All I can say is that I'm very pleased we found a country where the babysitting is free.