Our Love Among Corona

Chapter 2 Goodbye Chicken Clap

In addition to missing my mentor and all my friends in Jakarta, I know my longing is also on my favorite Chicken. Will not forget the savory chicken sold in Jakarta with a variety of menus. Starting from Chicken Geprek, Chicken Clap, Spicy Chicken, Chicken Chilli, Chicken Mercon, Chicken Rendang, Chicken Gledek, Chicken Pepper, Pepper, Chicken Cheese and various other Chicken menu lines that are easily found anywhere.

Among all the Chicken menu above, my favorite is Chicken Clap. I can hear my heart is in revolt because Estonia does not have a Clap Chicken of course. My heart and mind keep asking what if I miss? This Clap Chicken has indeed stolen my heart since these few years in Jakarta.

I had an idea to throw a Chicken Clap party with my Gank Gepuk. There must be a farewell party with this Clap Chicken so that the sadness can be treated when parting with my favorite food. I need to gather a squad of Claps right away.

"Sunday in my apartment, we got together. Farewell while eating Chicken Clap" I wrote in our whatsapp group.

"Okay, what time do you want?" reply Vavan quickly, right after the message a few minutes I posted.

He's the one who introduced me to eating Clap Chicken the first time and the one who should have been responsible for my madness afterwards. We often eat with the most spicy level, until the face and ears like burning.

After the two of us fell in love with the Clap Chicken, then the other friends were the victims. Because we often poison our friends with this menu every time we gather. Happy, because they are now entangled in our favorite food.

"Vash! You sell Chicken Clap there," Livi teased when we all got together.

"I'm a foodie" I replied.

"Good idea vi, I agree. Not worth the extra money", said Mauli.

"You think they eat chili? I've never met an Estonian who can eat our chili kayaks" I said dismissing Livi's idea. I know he's kidding.

The two of them are often compact to each other if they have been together. Then busy making a scenario by imagining me trading a Clap Chicken in Estonia. Countries that only they see from the internet.

I just laugh at their jokes because I understand the country that doesn't eat this chili. If there is, often Cabe is not spicy at all for the category of Indonesian people. Listening to these two girls mutually authentic is of course exciting. They have to visit me someday to see for themselves what this tiny country is like.

"I want a chest, two chests at once, plus wings as well" I immediately pulled the package of Chicken Clap that just arrived.

"Buckoo! what trance?" Vavan shook his head.

"Let's order a lot! Rice, where's the rice?" I shouted to Mauli's face.

This is our habit, order Chicken Clap then cook rice yourself so you can eat as much as possible. Plus eating Chicken Cabe with its hot rice-mixed sauce is heaven.

Sambal Ayam Gepuk is different. Not only is the cabenya delicious because the spiciness is really kicked, but the mixture of beans that are ground and then sauteed in oil plus onions makes the tongue unable to hold it.

"We're sure, want this much rice abisin?" Mauli put a basin of rice in front of all of us. Smoke billows from rice that has just been taken from a rice cooker.

The paradise of Indonesian people is white rice and sambal. This is a paradise that we also believe is juxtaposed with our favorite Clap Chicken.

"Never doubt about rice. We've got two other monsters ready to finish off all this rice, hahaha" my laughter bursting into the room while sticking my tongue out at Vavan and Livi.

Who can resist the sweetness of Chicken bones that are smoked with oil-drenched Gepuk spices. Not an hour, ludes without the rest of it all. We smile happily.

The next scene is a slimming tea session. We are the ones who like it. Our lives are full of drama, believing in eating anything, as long as they relax with slimming tea together while discussing various stories.

Slimming tea sessions are also sometimes another way of reducing our guilt. Eat a lot, exercise a little, balanced slimming tea which is actually never balanced. Because this session is also not routine, but it is enough to answer the weight drama that we make ourselves.

"Eh you're more like a Clap Chicken or us?" Vavan looked towards me and along with the others after sipping our tea.

"Hind you!" I answered while winking at him.

This Chinese man has been a close friend of mine for a long time. Both came from the land of Sumatra, we are both fighters in the land of the Jakarta region.

Like most other young men complaining about fate in the big city, we were thrown into a pond that was far different from the one we had ever lived.

Me and Vavan are two unique friends. One Chinese, one Acehnese, with our characters so opposite to each other. Although there are many other friends who often come together, but we both spend much more time together.

Our meeting is also full of memories because it did not happen in Indonesia. We met in the Philippines one time while attending an Asian conference for environmental activists.

He followed me with a lot of questions in English and a few times we passed each other as friends in a game on the first day of the conference.

"Where are you from btw?" tanyakanya.

"Indonesia" I replied short.

"Hey, I'm an Indo too"

"What?" I widened my eyes at him and we both started laughing.

I thought he was Chinese or Filipino, he thought I was Pakistani because of my brown skin and a face unlike most Indonesians. From that moment on, we became close.

After our return from the Philippines, the warmth of our relationship never disappeared. While Livi is a Papuan girl who has also been friends with me for a long time. The difference is Vavan first. So did Mauli, the Javanese girl who came later in our friendship. Our friendship goes beyond tribal and religious barriers. Like Indonesia, diverse and one in love.

"Don't you dare forget us" Mauli hugged me in tears. Repeatedly she wiped her tears with the end of her quadrilateral hijab.

We hugged till night leaving behind memories of the Clap Chickens we ate. Friendship is not that easy to replace. Even though distance and time are no longer the same as when they were together. There is a love that is preserved and will not be replaced.

"I love you darling".

I'm getting late in this blue day. Goodbye together until we meet again. Goodbye to Chicken Clap. Wait for me to come back.