I was a picky eater back when I was smaller than Gimli from Lord of The Rings. I didn't like chicken liver nor bread crusts back then. I prefer to have my rice coated with soybean sauce for dinner, or simply rice with dried shredded beef jerky, or what we Indonesian refer to as Abon Sapi. I was not the slightest bit fond of mushroom. I couldn't finish my fried chicken to the bone. But, my Mom said that even though I was a picky eater, I somehow managed to finish all of my meals, even if it took hours to do so.
I even have my personal favorite brand of bread back then, which is Sari Roti. Four-year-old-me loved Sari Roti's product as much as Pooh loves honey. Whenever I have the chance to have bread for breakfast, I always choose Sari Roti's bread loaf. I asked my Mom to get rid of the crusts, apply some margarin onto the fluffy white bread and sprinkle some rainbow chocolate sprinkles. I took a bite of the could-like sandwich and it was heavenly.
One day, we ran out of Sari Roti's bread loaf and had to buy from a bread monger who usually sells his bread in aluminum boxes. Imagine Libra, with scale as its' symbol. Those aluminum boxes are attached to a long bamboo stick, and the man carry the entire thing by resting the bamboo stick on his shoulder. Mini me was not amused by the fact that Mom was going to buy another product other than Sari Roti. "Roti Lauw. What kind of bread is that," little me protested. Ever since Mom bought a pack of Roti Lauw's bread loaf, breakfast felt like hell.
Years after years have passed. The picky-eater-side of me started to vanish. I no longer dislike chicken liver or bread crust. I still love to coat my rice with soybean sauce or Abon Sapi, but not as often as back when I was still a kid. I still hate mushroom. Hate it with all my guts. I'm still learning to finish my fried chicken to the bone. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I just gave it to the stray dogs in my housing complex, with the remaining bones and meat. What surprise me is that, in the present day, I prefer to have Roti Lauw's bread loaf instead Sari Roti's.
Yesterday, the Roti Lauw sellers roamed around my housing complex. He didn't use the scale-like wooden boxes anymore, yet he used a cart-cycle. I called him over, planning on buying myself a pack of its' deliciously fluffy and light bread loaf. But when I asked him, "Did the house over there bought any of your bread," while pointing at my house, he nodded with a smile on his face, so I didn't buy the bread loaf. Instead, I bought a pack of Roti Gambang.
Roti Gambang, you see, is one of Roti Lauw's product. It's a hard-as-rock and firm bread that tasted chocolaty sweet, and it contained lots of palm sugar. I guess yeast was not added to the dough because this particular bread is far from fluffy and light. I can actually use to hit people's head and expect them to groan in pain.
Despite its' similarity to brick, Roti Gambang is my second favorite bread of Roti Lauw. My Dad also love this particular bread. Back when I was a kid, my Dad usually bought a couple of Roti Gambang, then he cut a small piece of the bread and told me to eat it. It was an unpleasant memory because I didn't enjoy eating that bread at all. But now, I love it!
When you happen to stumbled upon Roti Lauw's cart-cycle, don't hesitate to call over the seller and buy yourself a pack of Roti Gambang. I bet, those of you who dislike soft and fluffy bread would love Roti Gambang. It tasted delicious, somewhat chocolaty somewhat palm-sugary somewhat savory. It has a rather weird texture, all firm and brick-like, but don't mind it. And, it will only costs you Rp7.500,00 for a pack of Roti Gambang! How awesome is that?
