You know those guys you see peddling food on the sides off the road on mobile carts? You got it. These are fascinatingly dubbed kaki lima due to the fact that originally they all had five legs (kaki = leg; lima = five): well sort of – two wheels, a back stand and two legs on the guy pushing it.
Kaki lima are food vendors who sell a variety of tasty local food, mostly snack size and in western terms has the dimensions of about half an appetizer. Common dishes are bakso (meatball soup), mie ayam (chicken noodle soup), rujak cingur (spicy vegetables with peanut sauce) and tupat tahu (spicy veges and tofu). You can tell which one is in your area by the sound they make – the seller will hit the side of a bowl to tell you it’s bakso, or a wood block to tell you mie ayam is on it’s way: akin to Mr. Whippy I guess but less electronic sounding.
Most vendors are from other islands, in particular Java, however recently some Balinese have started on kaki lima ventures too. Kaki lima vendors often live in a compound together with other sellers and make their food before they set out for a day or evening of street selling.
The hot food like meatballs and chicken soup is served out of a pot which is kept hot with a burner and sauces and noodles are added on the spot. Vendors bring their own plates and cutlery and buckets to wash the plates but as there is often no running water available the plates are not always the cleanest in the world.
The food from a kaki lima is cheaper than other eateries and is considered good in an emergency or if you’re on a tight budget, but it’s not recommended you eat from them everyday.
