Bendera Berjalan

Disclaimer: This post is written in Indonesian, so if you don't speak the language, I hope Google Translate will help you. Sorry guys, it's for our Independence Day.

Dirgahayu HUT RI ke-72, kawan-kawan Indonesiaku! Pada ikutan lomba ngga? Makan kerupuk atau balap karung atau tarik tambang? Atau udah nonton panjat pinang se-RT? Favoritku sebetulnya tarik tambang sih, dan aku biasa ditaruh di barisan paling belakang karena gendut dan punya otot lengan yang lumayan. Tujuh belasan tahun ini kalian ada rencana apa? Kalau aku mau ngunjungin Pameran Batik Semanggi dari Dia.Lo.Gue dan Sejauh Mata Memandang bareng Iva. Yaay! Kesempatan terakhir ketemu tahun ini nih, hiks. Kalau pas foto-foto di post ini, aku lagi jalan-jalan aja sama Kakak di AEON dan ngeliat Anne Avantie demonstrasi pemakaian kain batik—sekalian pameran produk-produk atelier-nya. Rasanya ngga percaya banget bisa liat Anne Avantie sedekat itu! Rencana awalnya sih mau ketemuan sama teman online yang kebetulan lagi ada di Jakarta, tapi sayang terpaksa batal karena orangnya ada acara dadakan. Semoga bisa ketemu dalam waktu dekat ini. Amiin.

My sister calls this the codfish face (beautiful, innit?) :')

Hand-me-down shirtdress + jacket + tights // Flapper Girl (R.I.P) necktie (similar) // Shakespeare & co. tote bag //

old boots // photos by Akita

Tentu saja tanggal tujuh belas temanya merah putih dong. Yah, meskipun baju ini sebetulnya ngga dipakai pas 17-an betulan sih. Awalnya aku udah mau kehabisan ide mau pakai baju apa tahun ini. Dulu perasaan baju-baju warna merahku ada banyak deh, kok giliran dicari malah ilang semua ya? Terus jadi inget kalau baju-baju itu banyak yang udah dijual, udah ngga muat atau disumbangkan—agak nyesel jadinya. Tapi ternyata masih ada pakaian warna merah yang sesuai kebutuhan, kayak jaket dan tights ini. Kemeja sekaligus dress-nya sendiri persis sama yang aku pakai tahun kemarin. Tadinya di rambut aku mau pakai pita yang sesuai sama bajunya, tapi malah ketinggalan di rumah. Terakhir, dilengkapi sama dasi silang ini, kurang merah putih apa coba? Kelihatan kayak yang udah siap upacara di Istana ngga sih? Mungkin aku terlalu pede sih, tapi seriusan rasanya selama jalan-jalan banyak orang yang ngeliatin bajuku deh—ya iyalah, udah kayak bendera berjalan.

Lemongrass Ginger "Tea"

Just once this summer—at least for my friends in the northern hemisphere—I want to post a recipe that is refreshing to fight off the heat. At the same time, I want to really accommodate local ingredients and local taste. There is a recipe—albeit not exactly local, but using ingredients quite easily acquired here—that I've been wanting to try out for years. I feel like it's refreshing, especially served chilled, and I find very tasty and healthy. It's the Vietnamese lemongrass tea. But, me being me, I feel like adding a twist into the recipe and turning into something that might become my future comfort drink. In the title I call it "tea," because it's not actually using tea leaves—as is what we Asians normally feel qualify as tea—but I've been told that in certain parts of the world drinks are called tea nonetheless—pure sacrilegious for me, to be honest. It's also sugar-free, with vegan alternatives listed down below. Hope this would refresh your summer!

Ingredients

(original recipe via The Wanderlust Kitchen)

• 8 cups water
• 2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
• 1 cm ginger, chopped finely
• 1/2 cup honey
• sliced lemon/lime for garnish (optional)

1. Boil the water in a medium sauce pan on high heat
2. Add the lemongrass and ginger and boil rapidly for 5 minutes
3. Let it simmer on low heat for another 5 minutes
4. Strain the stalks and ginger
5. Add honey and stir well to let it dissolve
6. Serve warm or chill in refrigerator and serve with ice
7. Enjoy!

Tips:  Be careful with cutting those lemongrass stalks, they are tricky to chop! It's okay to just shell and dump them in the boiling water, if that's easier for you. Obviously, peel the ginger before you chop them—but be careful. Grated gingers are also all right. The water might reduce significantly in the process, so add more than what you think you need. Add the honey little by little to make sure it suits your taste. If you're vegan or don't like honey, you can use maple or fruit syrup of choice. You can obviously also use sugar, but I would advise against it. You can also add in the sliced lemon/lime into the concoction at the end—it adds a subtle zest! If you want to make it into an actual tea, you can also add tea leaves during boiling. Feel free to reduce or add the ingredients to suit your taste—personally, I feel like I'd use less ginger next time. Lass es euch schmecken!