Bule Aja Doyan!

Posted on Jun 7, 2009 in thoughts | 23 comments

If you’ve seen the latest coffee ad from Torabika, you’d know the tagline being said by Luna Maya at the end.

The ad starts off with Luna Maya sipping a cup of Torabika coffee, and then all of a sudden a Caucasian man comes up in the background, sips the coffee as well and shows genuine delight that he likes the coffee. The ad ends with Luna Maya saying the tagline which is the very title of this post, which means something like, “See, even foreigners like it!”

The term bule itself refers to Caucasian foreigners or westerners, and it can be derrogative or right down offensive to some of them. For most of Indonesian people, the term bule simply refers to the look of these people. But sometimes, it can mean so much more than just the looks.

In our culture, it is apparent that Westerners are much more appreciated in terms of their appearance and where they come from. Most Indonesians assume that just because someone is a Westerner, he or she must have a lot of money because this person might either be: a) on vacation with dollars to splurge, or b) an expat with dollar salary to spend.

What I want to know is what exactly is so wrong about or own opinion? Does a Westerner hold a better opinion than us? Does a Westerner have a better taste in coffee than us? As far as I’m concerned, Indonesia is a much richer country than those in Europe, which was why the Dutch colonized us for 350 years and taking away not only our pride and national identity, but also our natural resources.

Is it not enough that our country is still being ruled over by Westerners? What, you don’t think this is true?

Take a look around Jakarta. People are actually willing to spend at least Rp. 50,000 for a cup of Starbucks coffee, which is an American franchise, when we have our own home-grown coffee which is better in terms of quality and taste, but yet it is undervalued just because it doesn’t hold the Green Starbucks logo. How is this colonisation? Because it teaches Indonesians to devalue our own natural resources. We teach the future generation to be ashamed of sipping our home-made products. It is much cooler to consume foreign products.

Take a look at the Golden Arches that are scattered all over the Jabodetabek areas. One can purchase a full-on processed food that has no nutritional values whatsoever for as low as Rp. 5000, which is probably cheaper than a sack of Nasi Campur from the nearest stall.

One might wonder how can this be categorised as colonisation. Well take a look at some children who are already obese because their parents feed them processed, junk food from American fast food chains. When these children grow up, they will spend most of their money trying to slim down or cure their ailments caused by eating too much junk food. I think this is colonisation, because the money will be spent on medicines, which are made by foreign ingredients and created by foreign technologies.

Take a look around the high-end malls in Thamrin. Brands such as Zara and Mango decorated in huge billboards showcasing international models posing in seductive positions. These clothes are most probably made or assembled in China, and yet we are more than willing to spend hundreds if not millions of our rupiah to purchase these clothing, without knowing where our money actually goes. But do we feel the same towards Batik clothing? Are we willing to spend that much for a piece of Batik clothing, which is made by our very own craftsmen and women, who have spent hours decorating the cloth but are being paid so low because Batik is so undervalued when compared to imported clothing?

I’m not sure whether Luna Maya (or whoever had the idea to come up with the ad in the first place) realises that 60 years ago, it was our very own people who have fought for Indonesia to be free from colonisation. Ironically, these days we are more than willing to be colonised by foreign brands and products. And now, apparently, foreign thoughts and taste.

23 comments

emmy
Posted on June 7, 2009

we should be ashamed

tapi ya ther, menurut gua, kita tuh terlalu bego krn membiarkan kekayaan negara kita gitu aja.. ga dimanfaatin bener2.. mungkin negara kita lebih kaya natural resourcesnya daripada negara2 barat, tapi sumber daya manusia itu low low low.. mungkin kurang teknologi canggih utk manfaatin itu? atau maunya gampangan aja, jual SDA ke asing, biar ga perlu susah2 maintain atau ngolah itu utk negara sendiri.. tinggal terima duit aja..gitu?

pernah aku mikir, coba kalo indonesia itu diperintah oleh Inggris misalnya, like HK dulu gitu? (bukan dijajah, tapi dipimpin..) mungkin indonesia bisa lebih maju daripada yg memimpin negara kita skrg.. what do u think?

Sering gua dapetin juga barang lokal emg kualitasnya beda jauh sama barang impor, yg impor lebih bagus dan berkualitas. Tapi gua tau juga produk lokal yg kualitas ekspor dikirim sampe kmana2 (indomie misalnya) yaa smoga aja produksi lokal bisa ningkatin kualitasnya untuk pasar lokal deh, ga cuma utk pasar internasional. biar kita sendiri bisa bangga dengan produk buatan Indonesia.

Kadang adanya penetrasi brand2 international bisa jadi ide utk benchmark produk2 lokal. Smoga aja business people aware sama ini

*smoga gua ngga nylimur dari topik yaa hahaha*

emmy´s last blog post..Finally.. an update!

Thanks for your comment Emmy Emang bener koq, kualitas produk dan jasa dari luar negeri seringkali lebih baik daripada negara kita sendiri. Tapi menurut gue ini bukan karena kita ngga mampu, tapi karena kita belum mempunyai kesadaran dan para pemimpin yang bisa menuntun kita untuk bisa bersaing dengan negara-negara luar. Apalagi pemerintahan kita sendiri modelnya kaya gitu … nggak pedulian sama produk negeri sendiri, gimana kita mau berharap kalau kita akan improve, mereka akan mendukung kita?

Gue sendiri sejujurnya ngga setuju seperti kasus pulau Bali yang kebanyakan owner dari hotel dan restaurant nya adalah orang asing. Bali itu kan bagian dari Indonesia, apapun yang dihasilkan dari pulau itu harusnya kembali ke Bali lagi bukan ke kantong para penduduk asing… kalau para penduduk asing itu datang dan menyokong perekonomian di Bali dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat kita sih gue setuju, tapi gue berharap jangan sampai kebudayaan Bali dan kekayaan alam kita itu hilang atau bahkan dipatenkan dan di-klaim sebagai hasil karya negara lain. Itu yang gue sama sekali tidak setuju.
rima fauzi
Posted on June 7, 2009

Well, it’s the great white hype, i tell you!

It’s actually not only in Indonesia, but also in Malaysia, India, Thailand etc. I think only Japanese and Koreans are fully proud of their own products and wont let their culture and taste be ‘raped’ by that of the west.

It’s the mentality of a nation without self-confidence. Personally I like products with good quality, doesn’t matter where it’s made. Unfortunately, most products with good quality are from western countries. So unless our country can make more quality products, I don’t think people will be flocking to use Indo products anytime soon.

And by the way, I own several expensive batik sets because I really like them and it’s of really good quality..
Plus I think Indonesian food and beverages kick western or other asian country food’s asses! )

rima fauzi´s last blog post..Hollywood Fashion: Amanda Bynes

Makanan Indonesia jelas lebih enak dibanding negara lain pun! Tapi mungkin aja kita obyektif secara kita kan orang Indonesia, ya ngga, Rim?

Gue pengen ngeliat orang-orang kita bangga memakai pakaian adat kita sendiri, seperti kebaya, blangkon, batik dsb., bukan pakaian-pakaian murah buatan China yang di-import secara besar-besaran yang kita lihat sekarang ini. Kenyataannya adalah kita membiarkan diri kita dijajah bukan hanya dari segi ekonomi tapi juga dari segi identitas kita. Apakah kita masih bisa disebut orang Indonesia, mengingat pakaian adat kita sendiri saja jarang dikenakan, kecuali kalau saat upacara adat saja?

Kita kalah jika dibandingkan dengan orang Jepang yang masih memakai kimono, atau India dan SriLanka yang masih menggunakan sari sebagai pakaian sehari-hari mereka.
cc
Posted on June 7, 2009

Well, aku pikir penduduk indo yang berpendidikan masih perbandinganya kontras banget. Dan untuk segmentasi pasar yang berusaha digaet si LuMay ini aku rasa lebih ke segmentasi menengah dan menengah kebawah deh. Dimana cara pandang dan cara pikir mereka, mempercayai bahwa apa yang dari barat itu KEREN.
Liat aja beberapa dari mreka kadang begitu demennya ma branded product bukan karena kualitas produk tersebut tapi karena biar berasa KEREN.

Sebenarnya salah satu masalah pembentuk pandangan mreka seperti itu salah satunya dari televisi kita sendiri, dari tayangan-tayangan yang ditampilkan. Perlahan tapi pasti, seperti dicuci otak…

Padahal kalo aku bilang coba aja biji kopi dari sumatera, itu sudah terkenal dimana” keras n taste good *bagi pecinta kopi kental*. bahkan kopi luwak, harganya bisa lebih mahal dari starbuck.
Haha.. but itu dia, life style yang ada sekarang itu mengiukuti trend masa kini yang mau nda mau barometernya ditransfer dari tayangan tipi kita. Lha wong tipi kita aja seperti tayangan menjual impian gitu lewat sinetron”nya. Haizz

Well aku salut emang kalo ama Korea atau jepang. Semua produk mereka benar kualitas dijamin, bahkan kalo buah tidak manis aja bisa kamu kembaliin ke tokonya! Itu sebabnya penduduk mreka sendiri yakin bahwa produk mreka mempunyai kualitas yang bagus. Coba di indo, pedagang aja menipu konsumennya. Masa semangka biar kelihatan merah pake disuntik pewarna??
Mereka tidak mengutamakan kualitas tapi untung. Hehe.. kalo aku pikir semuanya related lah. Keik maenan ular tangga. Kalo mo dirunut puanjaaaang banget.

Kalo mo dibenahi ya bisa makan waktu tahunan. Tapi itu semua memang bermula dari ATAS, kalo ATAS mengutamakan negara dan masa depan negara ya.. someday kita bisa bangga juga dengan produk lokal kita. Tapi kepercayaan diri memang harus dibangund ari kita kecil, karena itu mempengaruhi cara pandang kita kedepan.

Yang pasti aku suka starbuck juga, tapi karena tiramisunya uenaakkkkk!!!! Kalo kopinya ga tahan kuat aku, deg deg an haha

cc´s last blog post..Happy 1th Anniversary Plurk ^^

Segala sesuatu yang berlebihan itu pada dasarnya ngga baik sih, termasuk menggunakan produk luar negeri secara berlebihan Mungkin untuk mereka yang demikian merasa nggak ada salahnya, duit ya duit mereka, mau dibelanjakan untuk apa aja kan terserah mereka. Tapi untuk gue pribadi sih sayang aja ngeliat orang-orang Indonesia sendiri yang ngga menghargai produk lokal, malah memperkaya negara lain karena produk negara lain lebih keren, lebih fashionable, lebih menjual dan lebih ‘branded’ – nggak tahu aja kalau mereka dibohongin habis-habisan sama marketing nya

Sebenarnya alasan kenapa sekarang banyak pedagang yang menipu konsumen adalah karena produk-produk kita dihargai terlalu rendah di pasaran, dan kita tidak mampu bersaing dengan produk-produk dari negara lain. Terutama juga karena tidak adanya dukungan dari pemerintah yang menjamin kesejahteraan dan kesetaraan produk negara kita untuk bisa bersaing, dan juga perlindungan dari pemerintah untuk memastikan bahwa produk kita itu layak bersaing. Pemerintah kita (terutama sekarang ini) terlalu sibuk dengan kepentingan pribadi mereka sendiri sampai-sampai kita kaget kalau mereka menunjukkan kepedulian mereka terhadap rakyat. Kalaupun iya, pasti ada maunya
katadia
Posted on June 8, 2009

Interesting Ther! Don’t know about cofee/beverage, but in the case of food, when ppl say “bule aja doyan” isn’t that kind of implying that the food is bad? As in… bland, just salt and pepper and nothing else? The same applies with the very offensive phrase of “selera bule”.

But for sure Luna Maya is: didoyanin di mana-mana. LOL!

katadia´s last blog post..Strange

LOL, yes Luna Maya is currently the ultimate Indonesian commodity, but she will have to keep up with Manohara, right now, she’s all we see on television! Well, there are some western food that I like, such as sphagetti (that’s Western right?), burgers, and baked potatoes and salad. Western food can be healthier, except those we find at fast food chains!
Mia
Posted on June 8, 2009

I totally agree with katadia; the bule taste is not something to be proud about cos their food is mostly bland, we have far richer palate

In Bali there is a Canggu Club, a fancy-schmancy health/social club of which only the wealthy expats or very, very wealthy locals can be members. It really makes me depressed to think that these expats can sit there sipping champagne, play tennis, ride horses or eat their gourmet fares whereas most Balinese can only enter as waiters and waitresses. Most of these bules own businesses, lease properties and live in Bali for years but they live in their own bubble where only other bules are allowed, only English is spoken and locals are just there to serve them. It really feels to me like we’re stepping back into colonialism. I believe this is because the goverment does not do anything to distribute the wealth and increase the welfare of the local people. Why allow this huge gap to exist?

On the other hand, we also have not so well-to-do bules that really follows the local customs, speak fluent Indonesian or even Balinese, integrate themselves with the communities and see locals as equals. These people put their contribution to the society and help in increasing the welfare of the locals – this is the kind of people we should look upon, we need to focus on what’s inside the people’s hearts and not what’s inside their pockets.

This is exactly what makes me feel sick to the stomach, Mia. Our own people being treated as second-class citizens, in our own land, nevertheless! And I detest the government because they let this happen without realising what this country will end up in, in the future.

On the other hand also, I blame the government for not even give a shit for the effort foreigners have given to preserve the Indonesian culture. Isn’t it deeply ironic that foreigners have deep interest to learn Batik-making but most Indonesians don’t? It is the job of the government to make sure we do not lose our culture and our identity, but what have they done?

Too busy making sure they don’t lose the upcoming election, that’s what.
Sari
Posted on June 8, 2009

I am happy to read a lot of love here towards our own country. I am so proud.
So I thought maybe I can offer a different way of looking at it (just to enrich the discussion):

Isn’t it possible that both (homegrown products and imports) can co-exists?
Now wait, don’t get upset until I give an example. I pick another country as example so I won’t offend anybody:

In Japan, I used to hate going to the cafe. Why? because it was smoky. Then starbucks came in. As you know, starbucks is always non-smoking.
Guess what: now I found more and more local cafe that is also non-smoking.

meaning: The existence of competition can raise the bar and can actually make our local products better. Competition is good (if we want to compete).

One more example:

As you know, there is no shortage of foreign imports in Japan, and people do buy them (the vuitton, gucci etc). But the last time I went there, guess what’s hip among youngsters? Wearing yukata!
They can have all the Mango and Zara, but if what’s hip is yukata, then yukata it is.

It’s one way to push our local products using the sense of nationalism or patriotism. That’s good and I am proud.

But there is a more effective way: make it hip!

And in some part of our lives we are not doing so badly: we see more and more men wearing batik rather than suit to a wedding. Why? because it’s hip! Suit is so boring, batik style varies. We see more and more restaurants offering local cuisine, and doing really well. Why? because they make it hip! (who knew lontong sayur can be hip?)

So to me personally, I don’t think we should buy local just because it is local.
There is no point pushing our local products using patriotism and nationalism, if the quality is bad (and let’s be honest: some do have inconsistent quality).
Do the japanese buy Toyotas because they are patriotic? Or is it simply a better car? (hint: there is a reason by GM & Chrysler went bust).

What I would like to see in the future is not local coffee shops replacing starbucks, but local coffee shop side by side with starbucks AND COMPETE.

And I would love to see us all choose to go to the local one. Not because we dislike starbucks, but simply because at the local cafe the taste is better, the interior is more comfortable, the service is more friendly, the price is more competitive.
And the brand is hip.

Oh what a dream.

Hello, Sari! Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my blog. I agree with you, we should not be totally opposed to foreign influence, and yet we should be able to compete, sie by side, as what you’ve mentioned.

I think the current and future generation are smart and savvy enough to come up with ideas on how to make our own products and services hip and happening. I personally would like to see a coffee joint selling bajigur, Indonesian coffee, ubi rebus, kolak and many other Indonesian desserts that we used to buy off the streets being presented in a nice place where everyone can hang out and reminisce the days when we were younger.

Probably one of the best example of our own coffee joint right now is Bengawan Solo, as it can compete side by side next to Starbucks.
mousharilla
Posted on June 9, 2009

Yes well.. I buy anything that’s well made, and if I like it then I like it regardless of where its made. But like what Rima says, unfortunately a lot of Indonesian products still lack quality. I’m not saying its all crap, ’cause I’ve found some good things rummaging around. And when they’re good – Indonesian-made stuff are really pretty awesome.

And as for ‘selera bule’ – it does send out the wrong message. I agree.. But if its re-phrased it could also mean ‘see? Look! It appeals to people of all shapes and sizes and cultural backgrounds. Isn’t that great?’.. Look at it the way you want, and idiotic taglines wont bother you so much. ;P

And truth be told, there’s lots of people who care about Indonesia and its traditions. Stuff like the advert? Well its just the media being idiots and they should be ignored. Have a look around, you’ll see more and more people are trying to support local ideas, innovations and products.

mousharilla´s last blog post..Weddings and friendships.

I suppose you’re right about the advertisement, except that they’ve done it in such ways that people – like me – feel insulted. Sometimes production houses can come up with the stupidest ideas. Why can’t Torabika just line up people from all nation drinking the coffee, and appreciate the taste, instead of having Luna Maya in her usual coquettish way saying, “Tuh, bule aja doyan?” Not only the word ‘bule’ is offensive to foreigners, but she has also offended Indonesian people by that phrase alone.

I agree also with Indonesians craft and traditions getting more appreciation. The Ina Craft exhibition has always been well-received by the people in general, even though the prices are expensive, people are willing to spend their money for real Indonesian products – as they should be.
peyo
Posted on June 11, 2009

Hmm,

I’m not in full agreement with you on this topic. I find the ads to be in low taste as well, but still I’m not particularly in favor of oblivious nationalist consumerism.

Let’s take coffee for instance. Speaking as someone who loves her coffee, it needs to be noted that in addition to good quality beans, the roasting, grinding, and brewing parts are also very important.

Now, even though Indo has some good beans, the majority of Indonesians are drinking powdered coffee (kopi bubuk) which is a waste of good beans. There are local kopitiams and coffee shops that serve coffee the right way, they roast their own beans, and I do enjoy their cup of coffee (Bakoel Kofie – Jkt, Kopi Aroma – Bandung, and few kopitiams in Medan). But in Surabaya, I still can’t find any good local coffee shop.

Now, my solution is to brew my own coffee, cause Starbucks is too expensive and not worth the cost, but really you have to admit that Indonesia still does not (or hasn’t) produced enough good coffee shops that can compete with Starbucks. If you do, please tell me, cause I’d love to visit them

Same goes for clothing. People buy for the style and quality of the fabrics. Sure batik is nice, and I’d love to wear it once in a while, but I sure cannot stand wearing batik for every occasions. I prefer plain clothes actually. If there is an Indonesian brand clothing that fits my style, I would be more than happy to purchase them.

My point is, many consider foreign products as more superior than domestic products, because sadly, many times, it is still the case.

I believe that the work needs to be from both sides. Indonesia needs to provide better quality products and people need to be less brand and stigma oriented and give the chance for our owns.

peyo´s last blog post..E!

How about Bengawan Solo? I like their coffee much better than Starbucks, they should have some of their franchises open in Surabaya don’t they?

Of course it is not expected to wear batik all the time. Actually, Indonesian fashion designers are to be appreciated for their abilities to compete with the foreign designs, such as X M L by Biyan, for example. We can produce as good qualities as those foreign brands such as Zara and Mango (which are all made in China), the reason why our quality is still behind is because of the labour fee. The Chinese people generally accept being paid lower, which is why all the tailoring jobs are all done in China. But that just shows how cheap they are. We should always support the people in the factories, the process behind the making and thus making the overall price of a piece of clothing more expensive than that made in China. But this will go back to increase the overall economy of Indonesia, which I think will be good.
parvita
Posted on June 11, 2009

Well, have to admit that lots of Indonesians see that things that comes from the west is better. Therefore if a westerner likes our product, that means that the product must be really good. Or, if it has a western taste then it’s good.

The fact is, unfortunately, of our products just have poor quality. Sometimes when I look at Indonesian products, I pitty why didn’t they put all the effort to produce something perfect?

On McD, I think Indonesians who are aware of their health will not buy McD or any junk food, for sure. The thing is, McD is more comfortable to hang out at, than the warungs. And compared to other restaurants, this junk food are cheaper. I’m saying compared to those others in the mall, where working people go to for lunch.

My latest entry is about stuff made in Indonesia. Come visit!

parvita´s last blog post..Made in Indonesia

Well, I won’t even talk about McDonald’s products – we all know they’re junk food!
I don’t think we’re lazy or not showing enough effort to produce better quality. This, in my personal opinion, is caused by the lack of awareness from the people who own local companies of the importance of quality. We often see Indonesian people not giving as good services as those given by foreign people. This is because the issue has not been raised by their owners. There should be education on quality products and services.

At work, we can change the mindset of the Indonesian students to give premium, 5 star services and to speak in formal English to their guests, even though before they’re not used to it, because we raise their awareness that if they give excellent services, customers will come back and they will receive lots of tips.

I believe Indonesians can provide as good quality products and services as those from other countries.
Rob
Posted on June 11, 2009

Nah, I am a “bule” so I should probably leave this one alone, right?

But, you should probably point Jakartass to your post as I know he holds strong views on the use of the word “bule”.

Is the ad available on you tube or something? Seeing I am now in “buleland” I don’t watch any Indonesian TV…

Rob´s last blog post..Robin Tampoe — One Time Corby Lawyer — Struck Off

Unfortunately, the ad is not available on Youtube! I have searched and searched and the only thing I got about Luna Maya is her hot affair with the vocalist from Peter Pan

I don’t know whether Jakartass has read this post – it would be interesting to know his opinion as well.
Marmalade
Posted on June 14, 2009

Bules have a bland palate?! Blatant racism. Think of French cuisine, regarded worldwide as being influential to how we think of the composition of food and its presentation. I magine I said the same about Indonesians’ palates. This small-mindedness sickens me.

Hello, Marmalade, thanks for commenting. Perhaps what the others were saying was that compared to Indonesian food, Western food tasted blander because we used more spices and herbs. I hope this is not to be taken too seriously. When it comes down to food, everyone has got their own personal opinions. Cheers!
treespotter
Posted on June 15, 2009

Rima, i love “the Great White Hype” line. LOL.

I think Rob’s stirring for trouble. Lemme know when J Ass is around.

Hi Therry, interesting take. I personally think any ads is good if gets people to talk. then again, i’m an ad guy and we’re all stupid and reckless How’re you?

treespotter´s last blog post..on the Beginning
Elyani
Posted on June 16, 2009

Masalahnya kita seringkali gak pede dengan produk buatan negeri sendiri, buktinya setelah batik, wayang, rendang diklaim buatan Malaysia baru deh kita ribut dan protes sana sini. Kenapa gak dari awal2 saja dipatenkan itu produk asli Indonesia. Mungkin itu sebabnya Luna Maya bilang “bule aja doyan” …

Elyani´s last blog post..Bikin roti sendiri

Udah dicolong sana-sini, bisanya masih protes-protes aja ce.. belum ada tindakan pencegahan yang benar-benar efektif. Pemerintah kita emang bener-bener “sayang” banget yah sama rakyatnya..
pjbali
Posted on June 18, 2009

You can always buy a foam brick to throw at the TV when that commercial comes on. Its very theraputic. Another way of looking at this ad is introducing a local product that can compete globally. After all do you buy something because you like it, or because its from a particular country?

Btw an interesting column in the JP today by Julia Suryakusuma. It made we think of your post for some reason.

pjbali´s last blog post..The Quest

I buy something because of its function and its durability I don’t care where it comes from – well, not so much but I try to avoid products made in China – as long as they can do what they’re supposed to do.
boy
Posted on June 22, 2009

Starbucks coffee sucks….gak pernah lagi beli kopi disana, tapi selalu beli Green Tea ama Ice Chocolate

okay..back to the main issue…mengenai the latest coffee ad…,

menurut gw sih, luna maya itu cantik

~gak penting banget ya huehehe

boy´s last blog post..Busy Weeks

*timpuk Boy pake mug coffee* Puas, puas puas???
rima fauzi
Posted on June 24, 2009

Rob: I still think to this day that the word bule has no other meaning but white skin. That’s what I’ve always known and I see no difference using that word to describe a white person (or eurasian) than using the word ‘black’ to describe an african.
I just don’t understand how some white people in indonesia can turn an innocent word like bule into something that (they think) has a bad connotation.
But that’s me.

Tree: I got that from a movie, titled the same. It’s a nice play on words, right? How have you been?

Marmalade: wow.. I think katadia’s statement about bule palate being bland is said in a tongue-in-cheek way. Don’t take it too seriously. And French cuisine became that way AFTER they discovered many herbs and spices from – YES – Asia.
The same goes to Italians and Spaniards.
As for the real palate of the whitemen, try dutch/belgian/english/german food.
Bland.

rima fauzi´s last blog post..Abused Indonesian Domestic Workers
Jakartass
Posted on June 27, 2009

Hi gang, I’m here, and I know you expect me to say that I find the word bule offensive. Which I do.

To put it into context, an incident recently amused and pleased me.

I was walking through a neighbourhood kampung past a new father sitting on his step with his baby who said, “Lihat, ada bule”. As this is a word which refers to my skin colour, I feel it is inherently racist and so it annoys me. So I went back to him and politely told him that I found the term offensive, but didn’t mind being called an orang barat (westerner) or orang jangkung (stork-like).

An ibu nearby also remonstrated with the young man, obviously a newcomer, and told him in strong terms that I was orang Indonesia.

And that’s because she’s known me for nigh on 22 years.

As for Starbucks, McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Tikus and all the other franchises of western chains, I don’t use them because their standardised menus are bland and many of their ingredients aren’t locally-sourced.

I don’t like Tota Bika coffee either, preferring Sidikalang coffee, or Kapal Api as a basic brew. However, do note that some of the best (fair trade) Indonesian coffee is marketed by a New Zealander and his (Indonesian) wife – Merdeka Coffee (linked to on my site).

I don’t much like sambal because I find it kills the natural taste of good food, rather than enhancing it. This is why the French and English use Mediterranean herbs – NOT eastern spices. However, ‘Er Indoors doesn’t like the mustard I occasionally use. “Aduh, pedas sekali,” she says.

As for colonialisation, it’s by multi-nationals rather than national groupings. Many of the basic goods in our house, and yours, are familiar worldwide – Wall’s Ice Cream, Blue Band axle grease, Pepsodent ~ you’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with …. . These have been introduced by Unilever et al.

Consider, however, that the true colonialists were the Cendana Clan who dictated who could do what business-wise in this country. Continuing this trend are Taufik Kiemas, Yusuf Kalla and Prabowo.

Others, such as Aqua now owned by Danone and ABC Foods now owned by Heinz, have been taken over, often with export markets in mind.

Still, some good points have been made here about the quality of Indonesian products and the need for some real customer service.

Finally, ask yourselves how often do you see westerners in the malls? So who’s buying the designer brands?

It’s no-one I know – or care to know.

(PS. Tags are a nuisance with my old template, but if you want more from me, try typing “coffee” in my search box.)

PPS. Therry. Can we use HTML in your comments?
rima fauzi
Posted on June 27, 2009

J, I find english cuisine often use herbs from india, and french use herbs and spices from vietnam or thailand, no matter how subtle it may be.
mediterranean herbs and spices are also used but no more than asian herbs and spices.
cmiiw.

and yes, the cendana clan are also colonialists. I think they see that it’s a very effective way to control and manipulate people all the while making themselves rich and poweful, seeing as it’s been done successfully by europeans in our country for hundreds of years.

and I agree with you with the mall thing.. but then again, the westerners who do like to buy expensive stuff prefer to do so when they are in their countries or when on vacation than in indo. i heard the quality of the stuff that goes to indo is not equal to the same brand and model issued in europe or us. But yeah, i dont really care for that although i must admit i have several branded items, not because im a fashion victim but rather because i liked the model of the items i purchased and i purchased them because of the quality and how long i know it will last (thus saving me money in the long run by not having to buy the same item every year)

it’s such a shame that we have such a lot of products that can be a hit overseas but not many producers seem to care about it quality wise..
I agree, therry made some very good points about it..

rima fauzi´s last blog post..Abused Indonesian Domestic Workers
BuLowra
Posted on July 30, 2009

Wah, kalau ada iklan di Australia, Amerika, atau Inggris yang memperlihatkan orang menyebut orang berkulit coklat dengan “Wah, Even black/brown/yellow people like it”, ya ampun, itu pasti tidak sampai disiarkan secara umum karena di negara itu, dianggap racist banget. Apalagi acara macam ‘Bule Gila’ itu. Waktu aku mutar acara itu di ruang kelas bahasa indonesia di australia, anak SMP tuh merasa tersinggung, dan anggap orang indonesia racist. Ya memang nilai2 berbeda, yang penting coba saling memahami.
BTW, you won’t catch an Australian drinking Starbucks (mungkin kalau tersesat di gurun pasir dan hamir mati kehausan) karena rasanya gak enak dibandingkan kopi lain. Starbucks di Australia jadi bankrut karena kopinya jelek bagi palate orang australia karena standar kopi di Oz lebih tinggi. Neway, I’d rather have ayam goreng di warung daripada KFC, dan lebih senang pakai bak mandi daripada shower, toilet tradisional daripada toilet barat di Indonesia. So don’t put all bule in the one basket!
mochachocolatarita
Posted on August 5, 2009

hehe take it easy ther…mungkin copywriternya udah kepepet banget…deadlineeee jadi ya udah proceed dengan “bule aja doyan” hueheuheue.

personally, i love cultural differences and love all kinds of food. indonesian, chinese, western, junk food, semuanya enakkkk kok. i appreciate all of them, mcD dan nasi becak included.

emang di banyak culture”bule” dianggap race yang superior sih, rasanya karena generalisasi, karena kebanyakan expat = well off, jadi dianggap semuanya kaya, sukses etc.
generally, people generalize. ^_^
menurut aku normal kok…sampe nanti mereka ketemu bule miskin, bule bego, etc (well…bule jg manusia kan?)
Amanda
Posted on October 10, 2009

Hi all,

I’m a bule, anthropologist & former mahasiswi di IKIP, Kalemareng (Yogayakarta).

I don’t find the term ‘bule’ offensive – all people have words for Others (purposely capitalised) in their languages. I guess it’s the way the word is used and the context as to whether it’s offensive that counts.

When I lived in Java, people did think I was rich because I was Australian and going to university in a foreign country. The truth was, by Australian standards (this was in 1995), I was incredibly poor as most university students are! I could barely afford to eat and buying any kind of new clothes was out of the question. I think that is the only thing that annoyed me a little about Javanese (and Balinese): the assumption that because I was a Westerner, that I was rich, when I was a dirt-poor university student on an exchange programs that had been paid for by my home university.

So, if I had one message for Indonesians: don’t assume all Westerners are rich.

As for Starbucks, KFC MacDonalds… Aduh!! Yuk!! Starbuck’s coffee is too sweet – made for American tastes and full of fatty calories. As someone pointed out above, in Australia, Starbuck’s is hard to find because it went bankrupt. Besides, we have a very cosmopolitan culture and Australians prefer to sit in a real cafe, not a multinational chain.

One thing I do find appalling are those tourist resort ghettos -like the Canggu Club- that someone mentioned above. I cannot understand why Western tourists go to a foreign country and then seal themselves up in these sterile ghettos, away from … people!! Why go to a country if you’re scared of the locals and don’t want to talk/associate/learn about them? Especially in Indonesia where people are sooooo friendly and welcoming?

But maybe that’s why I’m an anthropologist… when I go to Indonesia/India/Nepal/New Zealand the best thing is the people!
omyosa
Posted on November 3, 2009

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