The Food of Indonesia

A Vocabulary Preview
Find the words in the text and match them with the definitions.
1. farming (n) c a. the substance on the surface of the Earth in which plants grow
2. food stall (n) g b. food changed from its natural state
3. groceries (n) f c. growing crops or producing animal products
4. herbs and spices (n) d. things used to add flavor to food
d e. to put trees, seeds, etc. in the ground to grow
5. industry (n) h f. the food you regularly buy in a store
6. plant (v) e
g. a large table or a small building that is open at the front, used
7. processed food (n) b
for selling food
8. soil (n) a
h. the people and organizations involved in producing goods

B Before You Read

Look at the picture and heading. What is the text’s purpose?
a. To give an overview of the Indonesian food industry
b. To compare the Indonesian food industry with food in the rest of the world
c. Global reading
Summaries give an overview of the main ideas in a text. Read the topic sentences and identify
the supporting information and important words to help you summarize the main ideas.
Skim The Food of Indonesia and check (/) the things that are mentioned in the text.
 challenges in the past
 challenges today
 changes to diet and shopping
 changes to jobs
 local dishes
 money for farmers
 plants and crops
2. Use your answers from Exercise 1 to complete a summary of the text.
Indonesia has a lot of rain and sunshine and produces different 1. __________. These
traditionally influence the food, and a lot of herbs and spices are used in 2. __________.
However, 3. __________ and 4. __________ habits are changing. Today, people eat more
processed foods. People often buy groceries in local stores, but they also use supermarkets.
One of the main 5. __________ for the food industry 6. __________ is the increasing
population. It means more foods have to be imported.
 THE FOOD OF INDONESIA
1. Situated in a warm, tropical region, Indonesia has a lot of rain and sunshine, making it the
perfect climate for a long growing season. The country also has large areas of good-quality
soil. Both factors contribute to Indonesia being an excellent region for a successful farming
economy. A large percentage of the population works in the farming industry, and the country
generates significant income from this sector.
2. There is a wide range of farms in Indonesia, but most belong to three types: small farms
growing rice for domestic use, small farms growing crops for export, and large, foreign-
owned or privately-owned farms that primarily export food. Indonesia’s climate is ideal for
planting and growing many popular crops. It is one of the world’s largest producers of various
foods, notably palm oil and spices like cloves and cinnamon. Additionally, Indonesia is a
major producer of other key foods that consumers frequently buy, such as cocoa, coffee, and
tea. While growing plants for consumption is obviously important, many farmers also
cultivate other high-value crops like natural rubber.
3. The farming industry is crucial for the country’s economy; however, it has also influenced
local food culture and customs. Indonesia has a long history of cooking with herbs and spices.
The Betawi, a local group in the region of Jakarta, are known for many street foods. Kerak
Telor, possibly their most famous dish, is made of rice, coconut, onions, shrimp, and egg,
fried into a cake. With thousands of street food stalls selling dishes for under one U.S. dollar,
these stalls form an important part of the economy.
4. As Indonesia has become richer and more urbanized, local diets have gradually changed. In
particular, the consumption of dairy, meat, and sugar has increased. Many of these products,
along with other processed foods and drinks, are often imported. While a lot of people still
prefer to shop in traditional local stores for their groceries, supermarkets are selling an
increasing amount of food to urban consumers. These stores mostly offer processed foods and
often have better refrigeration to keep the dairy and meat products that people demand.
5. As lifestyles and diets change, there are many challenges facing the Indonesian food
industry. In the past, the country produced enough rice and sugar for everyone, but now it
needs to import these foods. An increasing population, more land being used for non-food
crops, and growing industries are all placing pressure on the future of food in Indonesia.
D Close Reading
Read the text again. Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given) for each sentence.
1. Very few people now work in farming in Indonesia___
2. Indonesia does not produce any meat products___
3. Herbs and spices are quite new in Indonesian cooking___
4. People now eat more processed foods___
5. Indonesia can produce all of the rice and sugar it needs today___

E Critical Thinking
Discuss these questions in a group.
1. What changes in diet have there been in Indonesia? Have you had similar
changes in diet in your country?
o The diet in Indonesia has changed to...
o The diet in my country...
2. Why do you think people eat more processed foods today? What health problems
might it cause?
o People’s diets have changed because ...
o Eating more processed foods can cause...
READING 2
A Vocabulary Preview
Complete the questions with the words in the box.
artificial, claim, cost, crops, environmental, human, locally, pollute
1. What foods are grown __________ in your region?
2. Do you believe it when people __________ that climate change is not happening?
3. Do you think __________ behavior needs to change to protect the environment?
4. Would you eat different __________ to protect the environment?
5. What __________ damage is caused when food is imported?
6. What foods are grown using __________ light or heat in your country?
7. Does local food or imported food __________ more in your country?
8. What things about your diet __________ the environment the most?

2 Discuss the questions from Exercise 1 with a partner.

B Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. What foods do you eat regularly?
o I often have ... I eat ... regularly...
2. How much of your food is grown locally?
o A lot of my food is grown locally because ...
o Not much of it is grown locally because ...
3. What makes it difficult to grow some foods in your country?
o It is difficult to grow ... because ...

C Global Reading
Read the text quickly and choose the best alternative title.
1. The food we eat
2. Farming today
3. Farming solutions
 FARMING IN EXTREME

1 Harder times

It is thought that the world’s population will reach about nine billion in 2050. That’s around
two billion more than now. When you consider that there are around one billion people in the
world already living in difficult times due to a lack of food, then the future is worrying. Also,
with the increasing difficulty facing the world due to human numbers and climate change,
many wonder how we will feed this larger population without destroying the planet.

2 The damage farming does

Surprisingly, agriculture is one of the biggest causes of global warming. This comes from
some of the crops and animals we farm, such as cows and rice farms. It also comes from the
chemicals we use to fight diseases and to encourage plants to grow more quickly. Farming
also uses a lot of water. This water and the chemicals we use to grow our crops means
farming causes a lot of pollution to lakes, rivers, and seas. As our population grows we also
cut down more trees. Clearly, how we farm and use the food we produce cannot continue in
this way, but what can be done to make farming better and more environmentally friendly?

3 Grow and use food with less waste

Many farms around the world do not produce the volume of crops that they could. Of course,
they should not be farmed too much so that the soil is damaged, but they can be grown in a
better way. For example, traditional farming often plants different crops next to each other.
The amount grown of each is then reduced. Many traditional farms also waste water. Finally,
local farmers do not always have access to the best seeds. The best seeds are not affected by
diseases and produce higher amounts of crops. Also, much of the food farmed now is wasted
rather than used. The United Nations claims that about one third of the food produced for
people to eat is not eaten. The cost of this is about one trillion dollars of food wasted each
year. People in rich countries waste nearly the same amount of food as the whole of sub-
Saharan Africa produces.

4 Change diets
One way to reduce environmental effects of the food we produce is to change our diets and
what we grow. Changing the food we eat to more fruit and vegetables and less meat could be
one way to make certain that we can produce enough food to feed the planet. Much of the
food we grow is fed to animals, used as fuel, or used in other products. Farming animals also
uses much more water. By changing our eating habits through eating less meat we could
actually make better use of the land available to us for farming.
5 Unusual solutions—seawater and sun
Since many people do not want to change their diet, or have not considered changing it,
farmers are looking for unusual solutions to produce the food we need. This is especially true
in places where they already have problems with a lack of water or poor soil quality. Artificial
conditions are created to grow the food. For example, at one farm in Australia, they are
producing tomatoes by using solar power to remove salt from the seawater. The tomatoes then
grow in greenhouses kept cool by seawater in the summer and made hotter by solar power in
the winter.
6 Farming the desert
Many countries are facing the challenges of high birth rates increasing the population and
land being covered in desert. This means much of the food is bought abroad and transporting
it adds to the problem of global warming. Countries have tried different solutions to this
problem. In Egypt, people have tried to develop the desert into farmland. This involves using
underground water or taking water from the river Nile. In Qatar, they hope to grow a large
amount of their own fruit and vegetables within the next few years. Computer technology
means temperatures, water levels, and light can all now be changed to create a range of
perfect growing conditions. While an expensive solution, it is one that reduces the damage to
the environment and produces more local food.
7 Can we meet the challenges?
Each country faces different challenges to produce food. Some need to think about developing
the technology to grow crops in difficult conditions. Others, perhaps, need to look at trying to
change people’s diets to reduce the amount of meat eaten. The whole world also needs to
grow crops in a way that reduces the damage to the environment. Otherwise we may have
even less good-quality soil and a warmer climate in which to try to feed everyone.
D Close reading
We use synonyms to avoid repeating a noun to make our language more varied and
interesting. It is important to understand what these synonyms refer to in order to fully
understand a text. Looking for synonyms can help you identify repeated ideas and the main
topic of a section.
Understanding synonyms
Read Farming in extremes. Find the synonyms or phrases with a similar meaning to these
words.
Paragraph 1 - population people human numbers
Paragraph 2 - agriculture
Paragraph 3 – produced
Paragraph 4 - diets

Replace the words in bold using synonyms from paragraphs 5-7.

1. In hot areas farmers now take away the salt from seawater.
2. A lot of the food comes from foreign countries.
3. Some people think it is a good idea to lower the amount of meat we eat.
Read Farming in extremes again. Match each sentence (1-5) with a group (A-C) below. You
can use any letter more than once.
1. They traditionally waste space and water___
2. They say that one third of the food we grow is wasted___
3. There will be much more of them by 2050___
 4. They are now thinking of using computers to help them work in Qatar___
5. They will need to change what they eat in the future___
A. Farmers
B. Scientists and official groups
C. The general population
E Critical thinking
Think about the ideas from The food of Indonesia and Farming in extremes and discuss these
questions in a group.
1. What traditional foods eaten in your country are imported from other countries?
Nowadays we usually import most of our... from...
2. Do you think you could reduce the amount of processed foods you eat? Why/why not?
I could stop eating a lot of processed foods like...
Vocabulary Development
Adjectives for Describing Food
1. Match the words in bold with the correct definitions.
o bitter (adj) a. tasting strong and sharp, not sweet
o creamy (adj) b. containing salt or tasting like salt
o frozen (adj) c. with a strong hot flavor
o juicy (adj) d. with a flavor you enjoy
o salty (adj) e. thick, soft, often containing a dairy product
o smelly (adj) f. unpleasant when you breathe in through your nose
o spicy (adj) g. extremely cold and stored at a very low temperature
o tasty (adj) h. containing a lot of liquid
2. Complete the sentences with words from Exercise 1.
1. ______________ yoghurt is a popular alternative to ice cream.
2. A: What do these chilies on the menu mean?
B: They show you how ______________ a dish is. Three is the strongest.
3. This apple is really sweet and ______________.
4. ______________ food can be bad for people trying to lose weight because of
the amount of fat.
5. I always try the food first. Sometimes it’s really ______________, so you do
not need to add any more seasoning.
6. I really like this cheese, but it’s so ______________; the room stinks!
7. This food isn’t very ______________. You need to add something to give it
some flavor.
 8. I always add sugar and milk to my coffee; otherwise, it’s too ______________.
3. Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. Do you prefer sweet or salty snacks?
2. Which adjectives best describe your favorite food?
Academic Words
1 VOCABULARY
Match the words in bold with the correct definitions.
1. approach (n)
2. chemical (n)
3. consumer (n)
4. contribution (n)
5. domestic (adj)
6. export (v)
7. global (adj)
8. income (n)
a. relating to the country being talked about and not another country
b. a way or method of doing something
c. to sell something to another country
d. money that someone gets from work or investments
e. a person who buys something
f. including or affecting the whole world
g. something used in chemistry or produced by a process involving chemistry
h. something you do or share that helps change things
Complete the sentences with words from Exercise 1 in the correct form.
1. We ____________ a lot of food around the world, especially bananas, tea, and coffee.
2. ______________ are shopping online, rather than in stores.
3. Many farmers use a ____________ such as a fertilizer to help plants grow.
4. Diet and lifestyle choices have made a significant ____________ to many modern
health problems.
5. One ____________ to solving the problem of not enough food is to change people’s
diets.
6. ______________ warming is a problem facing the whole world.
7. The ____________ economy is mostly farming and tourism.
8. Our country’s ____________ comes mainly from exporting oil.
Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. Do you think consumers worry about where their food comes from?
o I think consumers worry because...
o I don’t think consumers worry because...
2. What does your country mainly export?
o My country mainly exports...
3. What does your country produce mainly for the domestic market?
o For the domestic market, my country mainly produces...