Thousands expected at Bango event Maulina Sartika Pravitasari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The annual Bango Food Festival kicked off Friday for the fourth time in the capital, presenting 80 traditional cuisines, including by "Bango Envoy" vendors from eight cities in the country. The festival lasts from Aug. 8 to 9 and is held at Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan in Central Jakarta. The committee said the festival also commemorated the 80th anniversary of Bango Soybean Sauce, the sponsor of the festival. "It is also to support the government's Visit Indonesia 2008," Memoria, one of the committee members, said. The committee said it expected 200,000 visitors this year. In 2005, when the event was first held in Jakarta, 70,000 visitors flocked to the festival. In 2006, there were 100,000 visitors and 150,000 in 2007. The Bango Food Festival was held in Surabaya in May this year, and in Bandung in June. Jakarta's festival will end the festival's 2008 tour. During the opening ceremony, the festival presented 80 grilled lambs for visitors for free; a record, according to the Indonesian Museum of Records, for the most grilled lambs served at one time. The committee said they had invited a food-loving community called Bango Mania Community to promote the archipelago's culinary heritage. "This is an interesting event. It has meals from across the archipelago so I don't have to travel far to taste the food," Dina, one of the visitors, said. "Unfortunately, the committee has not provided enough eating area." Many visitors stood in line, food in hand, waiting for seats to become available. List of "Bango Envoy" vendors 1. Nasi Jamblang (rice meal) Mang Doel from Cirebon, West Java 2. Bubur (porridge) Bu Jenah from Pontianak, West Kalimantan 3. Tengkleng (lamb soup) Bu Edi from Surakarta, Central Java 4. Es Durian (durian with ice) Kantin Sakinah from Bandung, West Java 5. Soto Udang (prawn soup) from Medan, North Sumatra 6. Sangu Tutug Oncom (rice with fermented soybean) from Bogor, West Java 7. Mie Titi (noodle) from Makassar, South Sulawesi 8. Kikil Sapi (soup) Cak Said from Surabaya, East Java. The Jakarta Post - 10 August 2008 http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20080809.C05&irec=4
