(8/16/2008)
While fried rice or nasi goreng is typically a poor man's feast in Bali, the price tends to vary depending on the pedigree of the chef behind the work. This certainly was the case recently when a plate of nasi goreng prepared by Bali's Chief of Police Inspector General T. Ashikin Husein was auctioned off for Rp. 6 million (US$652). For comparison purposes, a delicious plate of nasi goring from a Bali street vendor can cost between Rp. 5,000 to Rp. 10,000 (US$0.54-1.10).
The auction took place as part of the celebration of the Indonesian Police Force's 56th anniversary with proceeds going to a officer's relief fund.
The party attended by police officers and their families at police headquarters in downtown Denpasar saw Husein and a group of other senior officers don aprons and start cooking their version of fired rice for the fund-raising auction. The first bid for the Chief's cooking came in at Rp. 500,000 (US$54), however, the bidding quickly escalated with the gavel going down following a bid of Rp. 6 million (US$652) made by Chief of Denpasar's Metropolitan Police (Kapoltabes), I Gde Alit Widana.
One might argue that an individual's cooking skill is a prerequisite for promotion in the police force. At least that seems to be what was demonstrated by the lower bid prices for the fried rice cooked up by junior officers of the Bali police force; the nearest high bid coming in only at Rp. 3 million (US$326).
The family day was organized by the wife of the Chief, Ibu Husein, and included numerous prizes and a fun bazaar.
When we called to wish Chief Husein and his force a "happy birthday" he refused to divulge his recipe for Rp. 6 million nasi goring, insisting the exact ingredients are a well-guarded family secret.
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