Celebrating Eid al-Fitr in the Air

I didn't get to celebrate last year's Eid al-Fitr with my family back home because I had a flight to flew on that particular day. Lucky for me, one of my cabin crew, who happen to share the same fate with me, bring a heap of Ramadan dishes that her family sent from home. That morning, I got to feast like how I usually feast during the festival of breaking the fast.

Home-cooked meals are the best, don't you think? I was served some sliced ketupat (sticky rice in a shape of a diamond), a bowl of opor ayam (boiled chicken cooked in coconut milk), and some sambal kentang (stir-fried diced potatoes in sambal). All of the dishes were heated in the airplane's oven and they were warm enough for me to enjoy with my captain. 

We had to take turns in eating because one of the pilot had to keep an eye on the sky. When it was my turn to dine, I was very occupied in indulging them dishes as they were so delicious. 

What I Ate In-flight

I have been working with Air Asia for two years now. As you all know, your girl here can't definitely miss out on its' scrumptious in-flight meals, despite the fact that I don't get it for free. I still have to pay for it without no discounts whatsoever even though I'm the one who's driving the iron bird. Though in-flight meals are basically instant food, therefore it's not healthy for one's body, but it sure does give that extra boost of energy when you're starving during a long haul flight. So, here are the collections of Air Asia's in-flight meal I've tasted so far. 

Santan’s Breakfast and Dish Selections of 2019

Nasi Uduk

Don’t expect too much on rice-based in-flight meals, especially the ones from Air Asia. In terms of flavor, this particular Nasi Uduk tasted off compared to the usual Nasi Uduk that Indonesians can get from the side of the streets. Though cleaner, I still prefer the ones that I can get from a local street vendor. 

This dish consisted of a scoop of nasi uduk (regular rice cooked in coconut milk), a dollop of sambal, tempe orek (stir-fried tempeh in soy sauce), some vermicelli noodles, and sliced omelette. If you’re a person who favors flavors, I don’t think you would like this meal. The sambal was not the slightest bit spicy, the rice was lacking of that coconut kick in every bite, the vermicelli noodles were unquestionably bland, as well as the sliced omelette. It may occur to you the fact that our taste buds weaken during flight, meaning that you won’t be able to taste properly like you do on ground because of the altitude and pressure differences, but this was still a lousy dish to indulge in. 

Bihun Bakso Sapi

The same thing with the Nasi Uduk in terms of flavor, yet the extra seasoning of salt and pepper helped a bit. This hot meatball soup was a delight when the temperature inside the aircraft dropped. I expected non from the meatball, but it actually tasted quite decent. And the texture is not that bad, though it occurred to me that it probably contained more flour than meat. 

Again, this one is a cleaner and healthier option compared to the bakso that we can get on the side of the streets. But, of course, it’s instant food in the end. 

Pancake with Butter and Maple Syrup

Now, this is the best breakfast meal of Air Asia I have every tasted! Each serving comes with three pieces of pancakes, a cup of butter, and a cup of maple syrup. I’m not sure whether or not them maple syrups were authentic, but it was quite good. 

I have no complaints towards the pancake itself. They were thick as heck. The surface of the pancakes was quite solid, yet the inside was fluffy and moist. Combine them with the butter and the maple syrup, then you’d get a cafe-worthy breakfast in flight. The pancakes were quite savory. To indulge on the pancake without the condiments is fine, but your girl here is a sweet tooth. Ain’t no maple syrup can be missed!

Roasted Chicken

When I’m on a diet and looking for carb-free meal in flight, I always opt for the Roasted Chicken. Like its’ name, this meal consisted of three cuts of roasted chicken breast, with veggies and black pepper sauce on the side. 

As expected, the steamed vegetables were stale, yet still edible. The chicken itself had a bit of spices and seasoning in it, making it delectable if you were to eat it without the black pepper sauce. Its’ texture is usally a tad bit dry, making it hard for me to swallow most of the time, that’s why I used them black pepper sauce to help make the roasted white meat go down. 

Nasi Padang Uda Ratman

Whenever I feel like having rice on board, my go-to is the Nasi Padang Uda Ratman. Compared to the Nasi Uduk, Nasi Padang Uda Ratman has more flavorful side dishes. It came with a regular rice, served with a heap of sambal ijo, rendang (beef cooked in spices and coconut shreds), cooked cassava leafs, and some sambal teri. This dish is truly a life savior when you’re on board and craving for some good, savory, and scrumptious meal. 

Air Asia's Dakgangjeong

Chef Hong’s Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

All I got to say about this dish is that it doesn’t taste that bad for an airplane food. I mean, come on, y’all ought to know that most of the food being sold in-flight are mostly instant food - most of them just needed to be heated in the oven for a solid 10 minutes and, done, you got yourself a decent meal. But, this new dish that Air Asia launched on the beginning of last month seriously doesn't tasted that bad, as long as you don’t compare it to kkulddak. 

New meal, who dis?

The name’s Dakgangjeong. Although it may be a bit expensive, for a spoonful of rice and five pieces of soggy deep-fried breaded chicken bathed in sweet and spicy sauce, this dish is truly a lifesaver when you’re in a long flight, 35,000 feet up in the air, and craving for some good flavorful chicken to munch on. Happened to me today as I was cruising across Semenanjung Malaka.

Seems pretty promising, yes?

To be honest, the rice was dry and the vegetable on top didn’t do any justice to balance the dry texture of the rice, as they were also slightly parched and the least bit flavorful. The sesame seed drizzled on top of the rice didn’t do much either, when it should’ve been the one that add that extra smoky feeling into the flavor wheel. 

The sight of the Korean chicken

On the other hand, the Korean Chicken itself was overwhelmingly flavorsome. The sweetness from the sauce would just slap you right away the moment you scoop a spoonful of it into your mouth. The flavor was way too strong for me. The chicken was breaded, right, and since they have been soaked into the sweet and spicy sauce for too long they developed this soggy texture on the outside, while on the inside were just solid and slightly chewy. 

It came with this, supposedly, crackling topping of deep-fried batter

Looks crunchy, but not so much.

Fun fact! Our senses degrade the higher we are up in the air, including our sense of taste. This is why airplane food are made super flavorful. Now, this one is overwhelmingly sweet when it was indulged at 35,000 feet. Could you imagine how it would taste like on ground? Goodness.

Q11

Setiap gue terbang ke Kuala Lumpur, sebisa mungkin gue selalu menyempatkan diri untuk mampir ke kantin pekerja. Nggak semua pilot tau adanya surga dunia ini. Letaknya persis di bawah papan tanda parkir Q11, ada dua pintu lebar yang salah satunya selalu terbuka dan pasti ada, minimal, 2 mobil terparkir rapi di depannya. Gue menyebutnya Kantin Q11.

Gue baru tau bahwa kantin ini ada setelah gue pindah ke Surabaya. Semasa gue terbang dari Jakarta, boro-boro mampir, tau aja nggak. “Aku tak jajan sek, ya,”ucap salah satu kapten gue sesampainya kami di Bandar Udara Internasional Sepang. Waktu itu adalah penerbNgan pertama gue ke Kuala Lumpur setelah pindah ke Surabaya. Gue bingung, kapten mau jajan di mana. Baru setelah beliau kembali ke pesawat membawa gembolan kresek berisi nasi kambing dua porsi gue tau mengenai tempat jajan mewah nan murah tersebut.

Salah satu jajanan yang sering gue beli, selain nasi dan lauk pauk, adalah susu merek Dutch Lady. Konon katanya susu ini dulu beredar di pasaran Indonesia, jaman Ibu gue masih rajin manjat gunung dan Bapak gue tengah dipukulin di barak Juliet, tapi sekarang udah nggak kelihatan batang hidungnya.

Dutch Lady ini pertama kali dikenalkan oleh kapten gue yang langganan borong susu dengan varian tiga rasa ini minimal setengah lusin setiap kalinya mampir ke Kantin Q11. “Kamu mau rasa coklat, atau stroberi,” tanya beliau. “Terima kasih, Capt, saya nggak usah nggak apa-apa. Lagi diet soalnya,”balas gue. Dasar memang F.O. nggak tau diri. Rezeki, kok, ditolak. “Lho, sampeyan mau, atau nggak?” Ya, mau lah! Tapi, kan, lagi diet. Bagaimana, dong? “Wong sampeyan wes kurus gitu, kok, masih mau diet. Coklat, atau stroberi?” Akhirnya gue menyerah. “Stroberi, Capt, hehehe.”

Bentukan kemasan yang sangat mirip dengan kemasan susu kotak garapan Indomilk. Susunya sangat pekat dan berat, krimnya terasa banget. Perisa stoberinya, meskipun gue tau bukan dari buah stroberi asli, tetap terasa wajar di lidah. Nggak terlalu manis dan cenderung gurih sebagaimana susu itu gurih. Dijamin kenyangnya kalau udah minum susu Dutch Lady ini, tapi harus gue akui hanya untuk setengah jam pertama setelah susunya abis saja. 

Mung Bean to the Rescue!

AirAsia’s in flight meal has always been my number one backup during those time when I was hungry, but currently undergoing a no-carbs no-sugar diet. I usually go for the mung bean porridge that costs me Rp20.000,00 for each bowl. The portion is not much and the presentation is rather dull and unattractive, but good enough to give me a boost of energy to finish the flight. 

It’s quite decent for an airplane food. The soup tasted sweet and creamy. I once thought that they were using milk and sugar to make the soup, but then my Mom got to try it during her flight to Bali and she confirmed that the soup was made out of coconut milk and palm sugar. True it contains sugar, hence it’s not suitable to be consumed during a no-sugar diet, but palm sugar is way better than those confection sugar, so it’s fine. On the other hand, the mung beans was not mushy and still chewable just how I like them to be. 

The cabin crew can serve the mung bean porridge how you want it to be. In my case, I like my porridge hot, so they put it in the oven first before serving it to me. If you like it cold, they can definitely add some ice cubes into the porridge. Or, if you’re on the safe side, a room temperature porridge is also available.

Terbang Bersama Mas Dede

Di Medan, ada satu pramugara yang baru saja gue kenal beberapa minggu belakang ini. Namanya Mas Dede. Beliau doyan banget masak. Setiap gue terbang bareng Mas Dede, pasti beliau membawa perbekalan yang selalu dia bagi untuk cockpit crew. Seperti contohnya hari ini, gue dibagi es krim dan teri kacang bikinannya. Rezeki memang nggak kemana, ya.

Es Krim Jagung ini Mas Dede buat dengan bahan dasar jagung dan susu. Gue nggak ngerti gimana caranya itu jagung bisa bertekstur seperti foto yang gue lampirkan di atas, dan rasanya enak banget! Terus, di dalam serutan es krimnya, ada juga butir-butir jagung utuh yang manis dan nikmat banget untuk dikunyah. Manisnya nggak bikin mual dan rasanya segar untuk bisa menyantap es krim di dalam pesawat saat lagi terik-teriknya matahri. Berkat beliau, gue jadi bertekad untuk membuat es krim tanpa karbohidrat dan gula yang bisa gue santap tanpa dosa dalam program diet gue.

Lalu, setelah Es Krim Jagung, gue juga dibagi satu gelas Sambal Teri yang akhirnya menjadi menu makan siang gue karena gue nggak membawa bekal apa-apa selain buah potong gratis dari hotel dan satu buah apel. Rasanya pedas dan manis, tapi lebih dominan manisnya daripada pedasnya. Sepertinya, sih, Mas Dede nggak memakai gula jawa karena manisnya agak beda dengan manis gula jawa. Faktanya begitu, atau guenya aja yang sotoy.

Lepas dari hari ini, beberapa posting yang lalu di Medan, gue dan Kapten Afner pun dibagi satu mangkok penuh Keripik Opak. Tentu saja buatan tangan Mas Dede. Kali itu, gue yang mengambil sendiri dari kotak penyimpanan makanan teman-teman flight attendant di cabin bagian belakang, dan gue kaget pas gue melihat bahwa ternyata Mas Dede membawa satu plastik besar Keripik Opak tersebut. Asli, gue yang awalnya baru ngeliat doang, tanpa sadar, udah ngumpul air liurnya di pangkal lidah.

Keripik Opaknya renyah banget dan manis gurih rasanya. Manisnya selalu nggak membuat gue, ataupun kapten gue, mual. Pedasnya juga bikin nagih dan, tanpa sadar, gue dan kapten nggak berhenti mencomot satu demi satu sampai tiba-tiba, "Yah, Kep, abis!".

Medan, Lagi.

Masih seputar Medan. Mungkin kalau orang Medan yang ke Bekasi, mereka juga akan takjub kali, ya, mengenai betapa banyaknya makanan yang mereka belum pernah coba. Ya, sama, seperti gue sekarang ini. Masih getol-getolnya pingin nyobain makanan ini itu di Medan. Ini aja belum di kota Medannya langsung, masih di sekitar Kuala Namu. Apa jadinya kalau gue ketemu Ucok Durian dan kawan-kawannya?

Sering kali gue males banget jalan dan turun ke bawah untuk menyari makanan. Baik itu untuk makan siang, atau makan malam, ujung-ujungnya pasti gue bergantung pada menu makanan yang ada di meja kamar gue dan sambungan telefon ke room service. Dengan sigapnya gue memencet angka 2, atau kalau sedang sibuk dan nggak bisa dihubungi memencet kombinasi angka 8005, dan memesan makanan yang mau gue santap.

Makanan andalan gue setiap gue memesan room service adalah Capcay Seafood dan Tahu Gejrot. Kali ini, gue mau menyoba variasi lain. Jatuhlah pilihan pada Ayam Cabe Ijo dan Tempe Mendoan.

Selang satu jam setelah gue menelfon layanan kamar, datanglah sepiring ayam berbalut sambal berwarna hijau. Ayamnya potongan dada, sengaja gue pesan seperti itu, karena gue hanya doyan bagian tersebut. Lengkap dengan beberapa potong tomat dan timun, Ayam Cabai Hijau gue dihias dengan sedikit taburan bawang goreng diatasnya. Ayamnya digoreng kering sampai luarnya agak keras dan alot saat dikunyah, tapi lebih baik begitu daripada setengah matang dan masih ada sisa-sisa darahnya. Sambalnya nggak terlalu pedas, masih lebih pedas sambal di rumah makan Padang sebelah komplek gue. Agak sedikit manis, tapi tetap gurih. 

Dan Tempe Mendoannya ternyata hanyalah tempe goreng tepung biasa, bukan Tempe Mendoan yang lebar nan basah yang biasa gue beli di deket komplek. Tempenya, meskipun empuk, tapi kurang bisa dinikmati karena rasanya yang hambar nyerepet pahit. Tepungnya saja yang agak gurih, tapi selebihnya hambar. 

Berhubung gue sedang diet, gue menghindari makanan-makanan yang mengandung karbohidrat dan gula, tapi ndilalah waktu itu gue dikasih terbang dengan kapten yang perhatian, dibelikanlah gue sebungkus Mie Aceh oleh beliau. Waktu itu beliau dan keluarganya menyempatkan untuk jalan-jalan ke kota, sementara gue mendekam di kamar bersama laptop. Tiba-tiba ada suara ketukan di pintu, dan pas gue intip dari door viewer ada sesosok yang melengos ke kiri dan menghilang. Gue buka pintunya dan langsung bunyi "kresek-kresek". Ternyata makanan gue disangkutin di pintu kamar. Gue tengok ke kiri dan masih ada sosok tersebut yang ternyata adalah anak laki-laki kapten gue yang sedang berlari kecil menuju kamarnya. Langsung gue teriak, "Kapten, terima kasih!". Lalu ada kepala nyembul dari pintu kedua setelah kamar gue, "Yo, sama-sama!".

Nggak masalah diet gue hancur malam itu karena Mie Acehnya enak banget! Nggak Mie Acehnya bikinan siapa, pokoknya judulnya Mie Aceh dan dibeli di Kota Medan. Mienya gemuk-gemuk dan empuk, berwarna kuning langsat, ditaburi irisan bawang merah, lauk-pauk yang kelihatannya seperti otak-otak dan telur orak-arik, sepotong jeruk nipis untuk diperas diatasnya, dan beberapa potong timun. Serius, mienya seenak itu! Rasanya gurih, belum pernah gue mencicipi rasa yang seperti ini sebelumnya. Kesedapan Mie Aceh tersebut meningkat 20% ketika gue tambahkan dengan perasan jeruk nipis, langsung terasa kecutnya, tapi segar.

Yang membuat gue jatuh cinta adalah potongan bawang merahnya yang manis dan agak nyelekit kita dipadukan dengan mie gurih manis yang empuk itu. Ditambah lagi potongan daging yang menjadi pelengkap makan malam gue tergolong empuk dan nggak terlalu alot, rasanya pun gurih manis. Yang niatnya hanya makan setengah porsi buyar seketika.

Pernah juga, keesokan siang dari malam setelah gue menyantap Mie Aceh, gue iseng jalan-jalan di sekitar hotel untuk mencari makanan yang belum pernah gue coba. Hari itu tingkat mager gue dibawah rata-rata, jadi niat untuk berpetualangnya tinggi.

Ada cafe di sebelah hotel tempat gue menginap yang kelihatannya cukup cantik dan manusiawi untuk nongkrong, namanya L.Co. Gue masuk dan memilah makanan yang ada di daftar menunya, dan memutuskan untuk membawa pulang satu porsi Crispy Salad. Gue nggak kepikiran yang aneh-aneh karena dari namanya aja udah "salad", paling yang crispy cuma taburan crouton, atau mungkin semacam cheese sticks, gitu. Selang beberapa menit kemudian, salah satu staff restorannya memanggil gue dan menyerahnya dua bungkusan plastik berisikan styrofoam. "Maaf dibagi jadi dua ya, Kak, nggak cukup soalnya," kata si Kakaknya. Dalam hati gue bersorak, "Hore, nggak usah beli makan malam lagi!". Ternyata, isinya seperti ini..

Mau marah, tapi kok menggiurkan?

Segini banyaknya cuma Rp25.000,00? Nggak salah, tuh?

Setelah menelfon Ibu dan Bapak gue dan mengadu tentang makanan yang gue beli, akhirnya gue menemukan arti dari Crispy Salad. Mungkin yang mereka maksud adalah Taco Salad kali, ya, berhubung bentukannya seperti ini. Di dalamnya memang ada salad, tapi pakai acara ditumpuk potongan ayam balut tepung yang digoreng kering, lumuran saus mayonnaise yang ternyata kalorinya seember, taburan kacang wijen yang kurang kerasa dan cuma nyelip diantara gigi, dibungkus dengan adonan goreng yang bersimbah minyak. Di sini gue antara mau misuh-misuh, tapi di lain sisi ada bersyukurnya karena makanan ini kelihatan banget bakalan enak.

Bener, tuh, enak banget. Memang, ya, yang nggak sehat itu terjamin enaknya. Meskipun adonan gorengnya agak terasa pahit, mungkin karena minyak yang dipakai untuk goreng sudah bekas goreng beberapa kali dan belum diganti, tapi enaknya nggak bohong. Berminyak, berlemak, dan nikmat. Potongan ayamnya gemuk-gemuk dan sangat renyah, apalagi dipadukan dengan saus mayonnaise manis dan potongan salad segar yang ada di bawahnya. Sesungguhnya porsi saladnya sedikit banget, ibarat daging sapi di tukang kebab pinggir jalan yang justru lebih banyak sayur dan sausnya, tapi nggak apa-apa lah.

Kurang dari 15 menit, gue berhasil melahap satu porsi. Masih ada satu porsi lagi, tapi untungnya gue masih waras untuk nggak ngelanjutin ronde kedua. Bingung, dibuang mubazir, dimakan jadi lemak. Tiba-tiba ada yang mengetuk pintu kamar gue, "Room Service! Mau dibersihkan kamarnya, Bu?". Gue buka pintu dan menyerahkan kresek porsi kedua kepada si Abang. "Nggak usah, Bang, terima kasih, ya. Ini ada cemilan buat Abang," kata gue. Lalu si Abangnya senyum-senyum.

Kurma dan Celotehan Lainnya

Akhir-akhir ini gue baru mulai bisa menyikapi, atau lebih tepatnya mengeles dari, awkward moments yang sering kali gue alami di kehidupan sehari-hari. Lebih seringnya, sih, terjadi di kantor saat gue tengah mempersiapkan diri untuk terbang hari itu.

Contoh sederhananya:

Biasanya gue akan ngendok di suatu meja, mempersiapkan segala dokumen yang perlu gue pelajari untuk terbang, ya dari chart, flight plan, kondisi cuaca pada jam berapa, kondisi awan pada jam berapa, dan kawan-kawannya. Karena gue seorang pilot, sudah pasti gue akan terbang bersama kapten gue. Otomatis duduk bareng, dong? Lalu, ada aja, nih, teman kerja seperpilotan yang akan nyamperin kapten gue untuk salam, atau sekedar bertanya, "Terbang ke mana, Kep?". Nah, di situ lah awkward moment itu terjadi. Ketika mereka selesai ngobrol dan mereka bersalaman, sudah pasti gue akan menyodorkan tangan gue untuk dijabat juga. Dan, namanya juga awkward moment ya, tangan gue tidak disambut dengan tangan lain, melainkan dengan tatapan singkat dan sapaan selamat tinggal, "Yo, Nan". Nyeh.

Gue yang dulu akan kelimpungan sendiri mengatasi rasa malu karena tidak dijabatnya tangan gue (insert "da aku mah apa atuh cuma sisaan mecin chitato dibuang ke tong sampah" meme here). Tapi, sekarang gue malah membatu di tempat, nengok ke kapten gue, dan mengeluarkan, "Yah, Kep, saya nggak disalamin." lalu kapten gue akan tertawa iba.

But, then again, I have come to embrace the awkwardness of that particular situation. Mungkin gue sudah terlalu lelah mengeluarkan emosi-emosi negatif yang tidak diperlukan, karena nantinya akan berpengaruh ke terbang gue, jadinya gue memutuskan untuk, "Da aku mah apa atuh cuma pecahan kulit kwaci".

Kalau kamu, entah kapan, ada aja kedapetan pengalaman canggung seperti tadi, jangan dibawa mumet. Handle it with jokes. Your life is a joke anyway. Cia.

Ngomong-ngomong, yang di atas tadi cuma cerita selingan. Kemarin, di penerbangan yang membawa gue ke Medan (iya, ini lagi di Medan), gue dibagi beberapa potong kurma dari Mas Yopie. Beliau adalah salah satu pramugara senior yang sudah bergabung di AirAsia lebih lama ketimbang gue yang masih anak bawang ini (saking bawangnya sampai nggak disalamin). Pas banget gue tengah menimbang-nimbang mau beli cemilan apa di pesawat saking laparnya. Kurmanya manis, keras, tapi nggak kering saat dikunyah. Cocok banget ditemani dengan segelas teh tawar hangat.

Duren Pak Lubis

Kembali lagi gue di Medan, dengan sasaran duren baru yang letaknya nggak terlalu jauh dari hotel tempat gue menginap. Kurang lebih 15 menit kalau naik mobil jemputan dari Wings Hotel, lurus terus sampai ketemu Markas Brimob dan lapangan luas, putar balik, melipir ke kiri sedikit, nggak lama kemudian sampailah ke sebuah warung sederhana berhias tumpukan duren di depannya. Entah nama resminya apa, tapi gue dan teman-teman AirAsia gue menyebutnya Duren Pak Lubis.

Harganya nggak terlalu mahal, satu buahnya ada yang Rp30.000,00 ada juga yang Rp35.000,00. Pak Lubisnya sendiri lah yang akan memilihkan durennya dan kita bisa mencoba dulu sebelum memutuskan untuk mengambil duren tersebut. Manis kah, kurang manis kah, terlalu bersoda kah, busuk kah, atau terlalu pahit pun, kalau rasa durennya nggak sesuai dengan selera kita, duren tersebut akan digantikan oleh Pak Lubis. Dengan suara lantang dan logat khas Medannya, Pak Lubis akan menemani kita menyantap durian selayaknya teman.

Pak Lubis ini sudah berjualan durian sedari beliau belum mempunyai anak. Dan sekarang anaknya yang paling tua sudah berumur 30 tahun. Lucunya, meskipun Pak Lubis ini penjual durian, beliau tidak suka durian.

Dibandingin dengan Dedi Durian, Durian Pak Lubis ini lebih montok, lebih cantik tampilan daging duriannya, dan varian rasa duriannya lebih bermacam-macam. Kebanyakan manisnya lebih kental dibandingin dengan Dedi Durian, tapi lebih sedikit bersoda juga. Jangan dibandingin dengan Lambok Durian kalau masalah soda, Lambok Durian sudah terjamin menangnya.

Meskipun hati gue lebih memihak kepada durian empunya Pak Dedi, gue pun bisa menikmati durian dagangan Pak Lubis. Jelas, sudah 4 durian dibuka malam ini dan gue makan dengan lahap. Selamat tinggal, diet.

Bali Banana from a Good Friend

Once, during those hectic time of my line training with Air Asia, a good friend of mine visited me at my working place. He goes by the name Dito, a former classmate who is currently working with Air Asia as well and based at Denpasar, Bali. I was busy preparing the flight data for my next sector when I heard this familiar Javanese accent lingering at the cockpit door. Could it be, I thought to myself. I was damned sure that it was him - because my auditory system excels most compared to my other functioning system, so I can recognize and memorize sounds well. And, just when I finished setting up my FMGC, I turned my gaze around and found him smiling and waving at me. I couldn't help but to scream with joy because it felt so good to reunite with an old friend.  

After the breakup, I've developed this new habit of turning my cellphone off every time I fly, including that day. Turns out, Bli Dito knew in advanced that I was coming to Denpasar from his duty schedule, which has my aircraft registration and my name in it. He took the liberty to notify me before hand through LINE that we were going to meet. "See you on board," he said, which I noticed later on when I turned my cellphone on to snap pictures of us inside the cockpit. We ended up exchanging quick updates about our lives despite the super short ground time. 

Like the usual caring and generous Bli Dito, he gave me a bag of souvenir just before the door closes. "For you to enjoy, Ket," he said, "send my regards to your parents.". He bid his goodbye and I bid mine. In a snap of a finger, the flight attendant closed the door and the aircraft was being pushed back. He stood there under of the aircraft nose, waving his hands whilst smiling, which I replied with an overly excited waves despite the fact that I was flying with an instructor. Couldn't care less, tho. I was dead happy to meet a familiar face in a such strange environment.

During the next few hours of my flight, I was content. Didn't do the flight as stressful as my previous flights as I was in a good mood. Despite the fact that my landings were still not center lined, I managed to do well on my flight and did a proper calculation of my descend profile. Then, I went home to my Mom and we opened the souvenir together. Well, what do you know, it's a banana cake!

Unlike any other banana cake I've had before, Bali Banana's banana cake was slightly different as it was sprinkled with toasted pastry flakes on the surface of the cake. Garnished with chocolate streaks, Bali Banana made sure that its' cake was eye-catching and appealing to the eyes of its' consumer. As Mom was slicing the cake, I notice a green paper lying on the bottom of the plastic bag. I took it out, and it was a note from Bli Dito. 

This banana cake from Bali Banana is very soft, with a slight hint of chewiness here and there. The chocolate accent blended nicely with the banana flavor, and the toasted pastry flakes give a nice subtle change to the monotonous texture. They were slightly savory and buttery, adding a more variant flavor to the whole being of the cake. 

Now, I believe I had told you in some of my blog posts about how I like to eat my chocolate, or ice cream, with something to chew on, like chocolate sprinkles, or crushed peanuts, or biscuits chunks, or shredded orange peel; the same goes with this cake. It's already delicious the way it is, but the pastry flakes and the chocolate streaks made it more enjoyable to eat.

P.S. Thanks for the cake, Bli Dito! Stay safe, and I hope we'll meet again when I have the chance to fly to Denpasar. 

God Bless Subway, and My Legs

I am currently stuck in a traffic, on my way home from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, as I write this. I couldn't stop thinking about how I manage to deal with my simulator check while I was having a troubled heart. I managed to follow my logic which resulted in the passing of my series of line-oriented simulator. I could have done better though, I know it, but having an average passing mark is a fine baby step for the upcoming trials ahead. 

I finished my line-oriented simulator at 10 AM today. After pulling an almost all-nighter, because I was stressing out thinking about the exercises, I managed to do well on my one-engine takeoff. I didn't do well on my landing though, it's always been my problem since I was enrolled in STPI, but I passed anyway. 

The moment I got back to the hotel, I packed my stuff, took a nice long hot shower, checked out by the time the electricity of my room got cut off, and headed to the airport to check in. I got me a window seat at 19F, which was nice. After checking in and printing my boarding pass, I spend the remaining time that I had before the gate to my plane was open, so I spend it all at Subway. God bless Subway. 

Kuala Lumpur has Subways in its' airport, two substations of it at the departure building and at the arrival building. We don't have Subway here in Indonesia, which makes me love Kuala Lumpur just a little bit more than I love my home country. 

The moment I arrived at Kuala Lumpur a few days ago, I immediately went to the famous sandwich place to get me a custom foot-long. I always go for the Honey Oats bread because I like my food sweet. I don't like vegetables on my sandwich so I had none of that and stuck with the meat instead. I got the chicken slices and turkey slices, topped with some cheese, added some extra black pepper-mayo diced chicken meat, then finished it off with a thick line of thousand island sauce. Grilled, sliced, wrapped, and voila! I got me my lunch and dinner for the day. 

Since it was my last day at Kuala Lumpur today, I decided to wrap the show with Subway again. The line was pretty long as it was approximately lunch time, and I hadn't eat any food since last night, so I got pretty dizzy by just standing there among the crowd. I had to park my ass on my luggage to avoid getting collapsed. I really don't function well when I'm hungry. 

I got a complete meal that consisted of a 6-inch sandwich, a couple of cookies of my choice, and a glass of cold beverage. It costed 25.35RM and, boy, was it a good deal!

Like always, I go for the Honey Oats buns. I wasn't being picky today, so I just went for what caught my attention at first, which is the Steak and Cheese filling. And of course, I need to get some extra slices of meat, hence I added some turkey slices in it. Grilled to perfection, topped with a thin line of thousand island sauce and honey mustard sauce, and lunch was served. 

As for the cookies, I went for the White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies that seemed like the most appealing compared to the other basic cookies. As the staff handed me my food, they also gave me a plastic cup to be filled with the choice of cold beverages that they have in stock. I was amazed by the fact that they use a self-service system regarding the beverages, I mean, if I were evil enough I would just refill the hell out of that cup. 

Or, maybe, it is refillable and I'm just being kampungan? (Sengotot itu pake kata "kampungan" gara-gara nggak tau bahasa inggrisnya apa. Yang pasti bukan "villagers" oke, Git, Ngel?) 

I spend my afternoon munching on sandwich at Subway while catching up on my daily comedy of Webtoon. I was reading the Terlalu Tampan comic by the dynamic duo, Avisiena and Savenia. It cracked me up so much I was laughing by myself at the corner of the sandwich booth. Man, I miss having a quality time with myself. 

After I finished my lunch, I rushed to the immigration to get my passport stamped and I was unlucky as it had long lines at every booth that were available. I had to spend almost more than half an hour waiting in line. Finally, after I passed through it, I dashed to my gate as it was only five minutes left before it closes at that time and, to my surprise, the flight ended up getting retimed for an hour. I bet my legs will feel pretty sore tomorrow after all that running at the airport. 

A Trip to Bali (Part 1)

I went on a quick trip to Bali on Monday. I didn't visit the mighty Pulau Dewata merely for vacation, but instead, to attend my Mom's best friend's baby shower. My Mom and I arrived to the airport at half passed twelve, and we still got a lot of time to spare before the plane takes off. So, we decided to stop by at one of the bistro in the airport named Beard Papa.

Beard Papa, you see, sells various trays of mousse-filled puff pastries. This particular bistro originated from Japan. With a santa-claus-like figure as its mascot, Beard Papa attracts dozens of customers and pleased them with its sinfully delicious dessert.

There were five different kinds of puff pastries, which were the original puff, chocolate-coated puff, chocolate-coated puff topped with nuts, chocolate-coated puff topped with almonds, and cookie-crunch puff. Other than the puff pastry, they also have three different mousse fillings, which were chocolate, vanilla, and green tea. Since I'm not a big fan of green tea mousse, nor vanilla mousse, I ordered myself a chocolate-coated puff pastry filled with chocolate mousse. Can you imagine how delicious my cream puff was? 

Then, after I devour my cosmic dessert, I bought half a dozen cream puffs for my mom's best bud. Four original puffs and a couple of chocolate-coated almond-topped puffs, all filled with chocolate mousse. I had to refrain myself from stealing a bite. Fortunately, I succeed and the cream puffs arrived at Bali in one piece. 

Look at that glorious chocolate mousse, almost dripping put of the puff pastry

The sales lady of Beard Papa, injecting the Vanilla mousse into the puff pastry

We were picked up by my Mom's best friend when we arrived at Bali. Tante Tami, or Aunt Tami, is what I usually address her. She's more or less like my Mom, tomboy and easy-going. We stayed at her house, instead of spending extra money to rest our bottoms at a fancy hotel. The night we set foot on Bali, Aunt Tami took us to a restaurant named La Pau. This restaurant is an outdoor restaurant, owned by a family of Chinese. What surprised me was that the food they served were Padang's traditional cuisine, instead of Balinese cuisine or Chinese cuisine. 

I didn't get myself a plate of rice with some meat, only a glass of iced lemon tea. But then, a waitress come to our table and served us a plate of fried bananas. It was Aunt Tami's. "Go on, have some fried banana," she offered. Without any further ado, I grabbed a piece and took a bite. It tasted like any fried bananas would tasted like, but what I like the most is the dough that the chef used to fry the bananas. The dough was crispy and a bit different from the dough that Mom usually used when she's making fried bananas at home. The fried banana tasted different, in a good way, but I enjoyed every bit of it. 

Come get yourself a fork of fried banana before it runs out!

Table Three was served a very nice platter of fried banana

This place is famous for its local band. Latin-Jazz music was the band's forte. I'm not a big fan of Latin, nor Jazz, but I have to say that this  deserved a standing ovation. I enjoyed the music, despite that I was occupied by the thought of me having some shut eyes. A couple of foreigner stepped up in front of the band and started dancing to the beat. They were amusing and entertaining, but still I was pretty occupied by how sleepy I was, not to mention I was holding in my bladder. There was a rest room in this restaurant, but it was dark and a bit creepy. 

Enjoy the rest of the night dancing along to an endless
Latin-Jazz music from La Pau's very own band

Beard Papa

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

Terminal Three - Domestic Flights, Lt. 2

Tanggerang, Banten

La Pau

Jl. ByPass Ngurah Rai 178

Sanur, Bali - Indonesia