PPI Monash Malaysia

One World | Warung PPI

The Authentic Taste of Indonesia in Warung PPI x One World

Levina Candita| 14 June 2024

It has been a long time since we fully experienced the atmosphere of street markets in Indonesia–thanks to the Covid 19. However, in the middle of Monash University’s foyer, tables were transformed into a stall with some huge banana leaves supported with some sturdy woods, immediately stealing the attention with its traditional style of Indonesian market stall. You might think this is the magic of a time machine, but this is actually a real event held by Monash University International Student Services (MUISS) called ‘One World’.

In embracing global culture and friendship through showcasing food and traditions (@musa.muiss, 2024), Indonesia takes participation by opening ‘Warung PPI’ where we sold some authentic Indonesian foods: Ayam Geprek (Smashed Fried Chicken), Mie Ayam (Chicken Noodles), Martabak Tahu (Tofu folded crepes), and Pisang Cokelat (Banana with chocolate). Jessica Victoria, one of our person-in-charge for this event stated “We are trying to simplify and pick something more general for Indonesian taste.” (J. Victoria, personal communication, June 06, 2024.)

Ayam Geprek, our first pre-ordered food, comes from a Javanese word ‘Geprek’ meaning ‘pressed’ or ‘smashed’. It was originated from Jogjakarta, a province of Java, around the 2000s (Runinta, 2024) and gained popularity due to  its spicy and flavourful taste, which led to it being sold out three hours early from the event’s closing time. Apart from Ayam Geprek, the delicious chicken meat was also transformed into Mie Ayam, which originated from Bakmie in Chinese culture (JakFM, 2023). It underwent several adaptations to suit Indonesian taste, particularly the use of chicken meat instead of pork meat. Known for a light breakfast or lunch meal, Jessica emphasised the authenticity of the Indonesian Mie Ayam despite there being various versions of it. 

In addition to the hearty meals, Warung PPI also offered two more delicious snacks; Martabak Tahu and Pisang Cokelat, which Jessica described as popular snacks in traditional markets or school canteens. Notably, Pisang Cokelat  was the fastest snack to sold out, with only small snacks and beverages (coffee and juice) remaining at the stall two hours before the event’s closing time. These four hearty meals with different yet authentic tastes successfully became the selling point of Warung PPI. 

Appreciation goes to the cooking team for providing the taste of nostalgia through their cooking, as well as the logistic team for building the stall, and of course all of PPI’s committee working together to make this event a success. “Overall, I’m very happy with the result even though there are some challenges, and I want to thank all the team members for being helpful and responsible with their tasks.” said Jessica, expressing her gratitude. “I also hope that we as Perhimpunan Pelajar Indonesia Monash University can introduce Indonesian culture to our friends in Monash, since the objective of One World is to learn and appreciate the cultures of different countries.”