I managed to catch up with my old Indonesian assistant while in Yogyakarta. Tri was on a study break from Australia and had returned to visit her family in Indonesia. I was able to meet her husband and daughter as they took me and a friend to dinner at Ayam Goreng. It was the first night that I had tasted ayam goreng (fried chicken) and ikan goreng (fried fish). We ate in the traditional Indonesia way, with our right hand. The technique of using your hand to eat presented a challenge to me, but I enjoyed it as I had never tried this before. Now days many Indonesians use a fork and a spoon to eat.
On the way home they took us through the back streets of Yogyakarta. Tri explained many things such as, small stores on the side of the street that stock 1 litre of petrol so you can quickly refuel your motorbike. This petrol is kept in a clear glass jar, similar to our old glass milk bottles. Tri also mentioned the word for "short cut" in Bahasa Indonesia is "Jalan Tikus". Literally "jalan" means "street" and "tikus" means "mouse or rat". So "Jalan Tikus" means "a road a mouse or rat would take". It was great to catch up with Tri and meet her family.
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