By Alex Hemmer
BU News Service
CAMBRIDGE — If you’ve ever thought of going out for Asian food, some cuisines that may come to mind likely include Chinese, Japanese or Indian. However, on Nov. 23 the Indonesian Community of New England – also known as ICONE – helped expand that list for Boston residents. They promoted their country by hosting an event known as the Indonesian Food Bazaar.
Setting up in Cambridge Masonic Hall, members of the organization dedicated various hours to celebrating Indonesia’s cultural heritage. They served homecooked food to hundreds of attendees while performing traditional dances as entertainment. The attendees who joined the bazaar could either enjoy their dishes at one of the event’s tables or take a packaged meal home. Some even came prepared with their Tupperwares, ordering a selection of rice, meat and vegetables in bulk as food stall vendors provided fast-paced service on their feet.
Home to more than 18,000 islands, Indonesia represents a wide variety of cultural traditions and languages. ICONE’s event on Saturday reflected that diversity by promoting a range of recipes from Bali, Surabaya, and Jakarta, among other parts of the country.
