Why do the food carts make different noises? Part I

Food carts, known colloquially as kaki lima, are a ubiquitous part of the scenery in everyday life in Indonesia. And Bali is no different. Their owners have been selling food on the island for several decades now and their sounds are as familiar as the buzz of the incessant traffic or the characteristic chimes of the gamelan. When I say ‘the noises they make’ I don’t mean the patter of the sellers’ feet or the squeaking wheels of the tired carts, I’m talking about the ‘tek-teks’ or the ‘ding-a-lings’ they produce as they amble past your front gate. These noises in fact mean something. They let ‘hungry-you’ know what local snack is coming up your street.

What they all mean:

1. The ‘tek-tek’ sound. This is produced by a seller who hits a stick on a hollow bamboo tube as he pushes the cart. He sells chicken noodle soup (mie ayam). Locals call this ‘mie tektek’.
2. The ‘ting’ sound. Perhaps the most popular of all food-cart fodder, the meatball soup (bakso) man taps a spoon on a bowl.
3. The ‘ding-a-ling’ sound. Listen out for this in the heat of the day. This guy’s pushing a cart packed full of brightly coloured coconut ice cream cones (es). He rings a wee bell as he passes by.
4. The ‘ek-oh’ sound. Squeezing a small horn as he cycles, the rujak (spicy, sweet and sour fruit salad) seller normally rides a bicycle so you have to be fast to catch him!
5. The ‘toooooot’ sound. You’ll know this one when you hear it because it doesn’t stop until it’s out of ears’ reach. Typically out-and-about in the late afternoon, this guy sells steamed rice cakes called kue putu which are made from rice flour, coconut and palm sugar.

There are others which play tunes and ones which produce such distinctive smells they don’t need sounds to let you know they’re there. Find out about these in the next edition of Kulture Kid.

Copyright@ Kulture Kid 2007
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