Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng, an Homesick Song

Mornin! Still morning and the only one that we could do first is taking breakfast right? The popular breakfast menu for Indonesian people is Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice), and its become likely a uniqueness about the breakfast practice, even its inspired Dutch-Indo Artist, Louisa Johanna Theodora "Wieteke" van Dort (born in Surabaya, May, 16th 1943) to compossed a song titled Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng (Just give me a Nasi Goreng). I know this song from the talent show in the Television, a cuple years ago, when one of the contestant performed its song. I’ve got very surprised, its so unique song for me, because its dutch song but contains bahasa(Indonesian language) also.

Wieteke van Dort ( source: wikipedia.org)

Following the high tension between Indonesia and Netherlands in the 1957, due to West Papua conflict and the government spread the anti-western sentiments, Wieteke and his family, flee to Netherlands, forced to left her home in Indonesia and started a new life there. In Netherlands she got stressed with the climate condition and culinary in Netherlands, thus she wrote this Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng song, to express her homesickness with Indonesia. And, this is the song and the lyrics of Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng itself,

Toen wij repatrieerden uit de gordel van smaragd

( when we’re arrive from Indonesia)

Dat Nederland zo koud was hadden wij toch nooit gedacht

( we never know if Hollands is so cold)

Maar 't ergste was 't eten. Nog erger dan op reis

( the worse one’s is its meal, even worst than we got in the trip )

Aardapp'len, vlees en groenten en suiker op de rijst

( pottato, meat and vegetables and rice with sugar)

refrain :

Geef mij maar nasi goreng met een gebakken ei

( just give me a fried rice with an omelette)

Wat sambal en wat kroepoek en een goed glas bier erbij

( with a sambal(special Indonesian sauce) and krupuk (Indonesian chips) and a glass of beer)

Geef mij maar nasi goreng met een gebakken ei

( just give me a fried rice with an omelette)

Wat sambal en wat kroepoek en een goed glas bier erbij

( with a sambal and krupuk and a glass of beer)

Geen lontong, sate babi, en niets smaakt hier pedis

( there’s no lontong(rice cake), pork satay, there’s no pedis/pedas(spicy) taste)

Geen trassi, sroendeng, bandeng en geen tahoe petis

( there’s no trassi(dried shrimp paste) , srundeng (fried coconut grater), bandeng (milkfish), and tahu petis(fried tofu with petis, an extract shrimp paste))

Kwee lapis, onde-onde, geen ketella of ba-pao

( kue lapis (lapis cake), onde-onde (ball shaped cake with sesame seeds), there’s no cassava or bakpau(chinesse bun))

Geen ketan, geen goela-djawa, daarom ja, ik zeg nou

(there’s no sticky rice, there’s no Javanese sugar, so I said: )

(back to refrain)

Ik ben nou wel gewend, ja aan die boerenkool met worst

(but now I’ve been adapted with cabbage and snaps)

Aan hutspot, pake klapperstuk, aan mellek voor de dorst

( hutspot, with a coconut grater and milk)

Aan stamppot met andijwie, aan spruitjes, erwtensoep

( stamppot with an andijwie vegetables, spruitjes, erwtens sup )

Maar 't lekkerst toch is rijst, ja en daarom steeds ik roep

( whatever it is, the rice is the best one. So I always said: )

(back to refrain)