A few months ago I wrote about what a good thing it would be if we could start eating foods produced closer to home, thinking twice before buying imported foods and exploring local alternatives. It was a philosophical look at the way food is produced and distributed around the world, and the heavy carbon footprint of non-local food. I casually suggested experimenting with a 50 mile diet, using only what is produced on Bali.
Suddenly, it’s not so casual any more. The wolf is at the door.
Imported foods are disappearing from grocery store shelves, removed for ‘safety testing’. Rumour has it that following the melamine-tainted milk scare, the Indonesia government has decided to test all imported food products for harmful ingredients. The mind boggles at how this is to be achieved. But it boggles even further on considering the implications of life without butter and olive oil.
People of every culture are deeply attached to their familiar foods. Cambodian friends would arrive at my house in Singapore with pungent newspaper parcels of dried fish. Thais carry jars of spice paste in their hand luggage. A South Indian friend used to courier fish pickle to her daughter at boarding school in England. Germans smuggle sausages. French friends bring olives and cheese. Lenny, who painted my toenails for years before being head-hunted to a spa in Prague sends me brief, agonized emails. “The food is very difficult, Ibu. No chili here.”
So those of us who live happily in Bali but hail from other lands are looking a bit anxious these days. Small groups huddle together and mutter about hoarding olive oil; oil is a major concern. Most of us reject palm oil for health and ethical reasons (vast tracts of forest in Kalimantan and Sumatra are cut down for palm oil plantations). Coconut oil, though delicious, makes very strange mayonnaise and vinaigrette. And I am puzzled by the economics -– why does a litre of Balinese virgin coconut oil cost more than the same amount of virgin olive oil all the way from Italy?
Peanut and soy oil are both popular in the West but are not part of the local culinary culture; still, the expat population in Bali is large enough to justify some research into making it here. Even more interesting is the potential for making avocado oil. This is one of the healthiest oils on earth, providing protection against cancer and high cholesterol. The oil is extracted from the flesh of the avocado instead of the seed. It has a very high smoke point of 250C, making it suitable for cooking.
The avocado was brought to Asia from Central America only in the last century and has not really caught on in much of Indonesia. But this is the world’s most nutritious fruit, containing protein, healthy oil and essential vitamins and minerals. Avocadoes could be a solution for malnutrition in the poorer parts of Indonesia. When I lived in Kenya, a neighbour told me that the house he’d just rented had been left empty for three months when the previous tenants moved out. They’d left their two dogs behind with enough money for the staff to feed them until the new tenants arrived. But, as is common in poor countries, the staff didn’t see the point in feeding good meat to dogs when they couldn’t afford it for their children. One dog starved to death. The other not only survived but throve on a rich diet of avocados that fell from a tree in the garden. African nannies used to feed very young foreign babies in their care spoonfuls of avocado in the evening so they would sleep through the night. The mothers were horrified when they found out, but it worked like a charm and the babies were plump and healthy. When avocadoes are in season I routinely feed them to my dogs.
But I digress. Once we solve the oil problem (grinding our own soybeans -– our pioneer grandmothers would be proud!) there is still the grave issue of dairy products. This is especially serious for Canadians; they don’t call us cheeseheads for nothing, and cream cheese doesn’t count. There’s a herd of dairy cows in Bangli, but all the milk seems to be going to an enterprising Italian who makes mozzarella. This is a very worthy endeavor, but what about butter? Butter is a fundamental part of our culture. Life without butter hardly bears thinking about. In casting about for local alternatives I realized there are very few mammals whose milk can fill this critical niche. One never sees goat butter for some reason. And why don’t people milk pigs, I wonder?
We are coping with another shortage as well. Grog has vanished. For those among us who enjoy a drop, this is a Major Situation. First tequila disappeared, then plain vodka (the Russians were blamed), then affordable imported wine and finally even boxed Hatten white. When Naughty Nury’s had to stop serving martinis it was clear that we were in crisis mode. Urgent emails went out, and visiting friends from the Outside World are now arriving with packets of wine yeast and instructions for turning starfruit and mangoes into plonk. Interesting experiments are underway with arak infused with coffee beans and vanilla pods. There is even talk of stills.
So stock up on olives and Gorgonzola. We could be in for an interesting time as global supply chains start to break down due to fuel costs and politics. Meanwhile, I’m off to grind the soybeans and milk the pig.
