Technical Writing

Lasem, A Special Place to Visit

If you are looking for somewhat special places to visit, Lasem should be in your list. The town located in the north coast of Central Java has the most delicious lontong opor on earth, Lontong Tuyuhan. Lasem has also the special handmade batik, Batik Lasem. This 45.04 km² town with population of 44,879 (2003) is a place where bus and angkot are not the commonly used public means of transportation.

Due to Lasem's small size, traditional dokar becomes the commonly used public mean of transportation. Dokars are the 2-wheel carts that ply the streets around Lasem. The cart is pulled by a horse with some leather harnesses and jingling bells and one coach man. Beyond that, the dokar can carry up to twelve passengers. This dokar is different from the other horse-powered cart such as andong and delman not only for dokar’s size which is bigger, but also for its wheels' size. Dokar's wheel is twice bigger than andong’s or delman’s.

Just as dokar becomes Lasem’s special horse-powered cart, Lontong Tuyuhan becomes Lasem's special lontong opor. The soup is tastier and the chicken is softer than the ordinary lontong opor. What makes it so soft is the young village-chicken. The lontong(food consisting of rice steamed in a banana leaf) and the opor(chicken cooked with coconut cream and various spices) have their own Lontong Tuyuhan's secret recipe which makes Lontong Tuyuhan the most delicious lontong opor on earth. I have heard someone paid five hundred rupiahs for the recipe. The extraordinary recipe makes the lontong itself already delicious that it is not uncommon seeing someone eats Lontong Tuyuhan without the chicken. What makes the lontong more special is its triangular shape. The "real" Lontong Tuyuhan can only be found at one spot in Tuyuhan village. It is believed that the spot has magical effect on the Lontong Tuyuhan's delicious taste. If you buy it somewhere else, you will find that it is somewhat not as delicious as the one you buy from Tuyuhan although the seller is the same.

While Lontong Tuyuhan has its own magical side, Lasem’s handmade batik, Batik Lasem, has its own cultural side. It is said that only Lasem's batik painter can make this batik's special stripe, especially the red color which is like chicken blood color. The motif of Batik Lasem is combination of Tionghoa's culture, north coastal society's local culture, and royal palace's culture. The design of the batik is affected by the anchestor's belief and legend. The motif of Hong bird, kilin, etc. can be seen on Batik Lasem. Even, the classic love story Sam Pek Eng Tay has ever become the motif. The influence of the royal palace's culture of Surakarta and Yogyakarta can be observed on the motif of omamen kawung, parang, etc. Likewise, the coastal culture influence is on the bright color like red, blue, yellow, and green.

Very good and organized.

posted by Chandra Gondowasito @ 9:19 PM