[ Final Examination Creative Writing ] Special Culinary: Kembang Waru Cake

Special Culinary: Kembang Waru Cake
 by Fantastic Baby Group

This Article is made for Final Examination in 

Creative Writing Class A, 

English Literature, 

Faculty of Cultural Science, 

Universitas Gadjah Mada

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Special Culinary: Kembang Waru Cake 

          Who loves doing culinary trip? If you do, we would like to suggest you to go to Kotagede, Yogyakarta. Although Kotagede is mostly known as silver city, but in there you can also find some delicious foods or snacks one of which is our recommendation, Kembang Waru Cake. The cake looks alike waru flower. The cake has been  produced until now since 1965 in Kampung Bumen RW 06, Kelurahan Purbayan, Kotagede. Before it became the production centre of Kembang Waru cake, they used to make household tools from old can, but then it was not sustainable. One of the Kembang Waru producer which is still exist until know among 20 other producers in that place is Mr. Basis Hargito and his wife, Mrs. Gidah. Here is the picture of their Kembang Waru cake!

“I’m not going to be arrogant or what, but here is the best production place of Kembang Waru cake. In here, a bowl of dough is used for 70 cakes, but 90 in other places. That must lessen the amount of the ingredients. Consumer is the one who can judge our product. For us, we keep the dough stable. Other places, that got much order, usually make the ingredients less, increase the price, so the taste of the cake is different. In here, whether the order is few or much, we still keep the recipe. In the other hand, buyer is a king. We have to be punctual to make consumer satisfied and trust us,” said Mr. Bas to our team on June 13th, 2013.

What makes this cake becomes our recommendation is its taste and the fact that the cake is Mataram King’s favorite cake, even his family and his colleagues also liked it. For regular used, usually it is used for dishes on a wedding party or other special traditional moments, while its taste is as sweet as combination of sugar and milk and the texture when you bite it is soft just like a sponge cake, besides that it smells pretty good and if you eat the cake while it is warm, it will make you want to try it soon, more and more. It seems worth to try right? 

 

Is there any secret behind their cake? Yes of course. Although its ingredients are as simple as the ordinary cake such as chicken eggs, sugar, milk, butter, wheat flour, vanilla, and no preservatives, but the secret is on the making process. They make it by mixing all the ingredients except wheat flour around 20 minutes without stop with specific volume and wait until it becomes fluffy. After that, the dough is mixed with wheat flour and put in cake mold and located it onto traditional oven, then baked it in traditional stove which using charcoal. The well-cooked of the cake is not based on how long the cake is in the oven but based on the feeling of Mrs. Gidah. The ingredients have to be exact as one teaspoon = one recipe = 70 cake. Too much or too few milk will make the cake color is not good. The wheat flour used is only “Segitiga Biru” because they said it is the best flour and does not make the cake stick to the mold place when it is well-cooked.

So, where to buy their cake?

Unfortunately, you cannot find it in any store because Pak Bas has never put his cake in a warung or store. He and his wife are only made the cake if they got order in that day. So, if you want to try, just come to their place and order it! Don't worry about the price! It is only IDR 1200/each cake. Are you ready to try? Enjoy it!

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About the owner:

Mr. Basis Hargito and  his wife, Mrs. Gidah. Besides producing and selling Kembang Waru cake, Mr. Bas is an art activist. He is a traditional dancer for Ramayana's story in Purawisata and artist for Ketoprak also Wayang. Their life is supported by Kembang Waru cake and Mr. Bas works as an art activist.

Location:
Kampung Bumen RW 06, Kelurahan Purbayan, Kotagede, Yogyakarta.

Act Like a Professional Editor

It's Tiyan Nuno's "'He' is Beautiful' that is asked to be edited. Here they are.


           Left the last two meetings of Creative Writing class for Bali, Mas Dalih sent her friend to replace him, Mbak Abmi, whom we met before as a guest. The second time she came to the class, she was with a beautiful female-look guest.
           
           Five different topics and groups are prepared to interview 'him'. Surprised? Yeah, the female-look guest is a ladyboy.

           He, Olivia Sonya Aresta or Mbak Sonya, is an activist in PKBI (Perkumpulan Keluarga Berencana Indonesia) who came from Klaten. He really is active, not only as an activist, but also beauty consultant, online shop owner, and make-up bride.

           Having some good occupations right now doesn't mean that acceptance and confession, as who he really is, are easily to be reached, especially from his mother. And that things become his lifetime homework.

           It is started when his parents didn't allow him to play with boys because boys are naughty. Playing with girls lead him to be more girly then. Making up, girl dressing, and playing dolls become more often along his teenage in junior and senior high. Teasing and mocking are commonly heard because his accidental meeting with his friends in a Yogyakarta mall, when he dressed like a girl. He moved out from Klaten after junior high to restrain his family inconvenience due to his decision to become a waria (ladyboy), not because his family had thrown him.

          "Jogja is the pleasant place for me and the atmosphere is different from others". Metropolitan cities such as Bandung, Jakarta, and Bali didn't make him want to stay there. He found himself useful for others as he became volunteer for Bantul earthquake victims, PKBI, and HIV/AIDS organization. He got the meaning of real friends in Jogja too. His waria friends accompanied him when he was hospitalized. For him, it doesn't important to see who he really is or how does he look, as a waria, as long as he gives real contribution to the world by doing useful things for others. 

          Is 'he' beautiful? Yes, he is. A real beauty from his heart. Wonderful inspiration can come from everywhere. And this time, it comes from him, Mbak Sonya.

ART CURATORIAL: Paintings of Kim Yee Seul

She is an English Department student who likes painting. Starting from 4 years old, she was inspired by Van Gogh and taught by her grandparents who worked as an artist. She likes to paint something cute, chic, cool, and gorgeus.

This is one of her painting where she got the inspiration from her picture when she was in Port Sherpen, Sydney. She needs to see something whether it's from picture or environment to build an imagination to paint. She draws because she likes the things that she wants to draw.

And this one is the other examples of her painting. It's her dream car, Volkswagen Beetle. She has difficulty in painting person, so that's why she is prefer to paint models and objects. She likes to paint something happy because she is always happy everytime she paints, but when she feels sad, she paints something happy too, to make her happy.

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SPECIAL GUEST: Efforts for Fighting Identity

We called her Mbak Sonya when last week she came into our class and became a special guest to be interviewed by us. She was born in Klaten, Central Java but her identity card is from Bandung, West Java. 

Being the first child from three siblings of the family, she liked to use girl clothes and played with them too. "I played kasti with the boys and after that I cried after some of them annoy me. Then my parents told me not to play with the boys."
After that, she mostly played with girls and feel comfortable with it until now she wants to fight for her identity as a waria.

"My step father supports me with what I am, in contrast with my real mother who sometimes support and accept me but then in the other day, she rejected me."
It has been three years since  she hasn't talked with her mother because of differences in opinion. "My relationship with my family is still being 'homework' for me,' she said with a smile in her face.

"I used to really want to married and have children. But now, I just want to volunteering myself in social events for HIV/AIDS and PKBI, and have a happy life with my friends who accept and support me as I am." She is now working as a freelance make up artist and also volunteer in PKBI (Persatuan Keluarga Berencana Indonesia).