Balance in Bali

Balance in Bali
Throughout Bali there is a duality to life and a pursuit for harmony. You only need to look at the ‘Canang Sari’. These small offering baskets placed at every entrance are a practice of giving back to the Gods what they have given to you. The offerings are not done through fear of retribution, but a desire to share what you are fortunate to have.

The pursuit for harmony in Bali is most evident in food. A balance between the sweet, sour, salty and bitter is the goal with every dish. A fantastic example is Babi Guling. Roasted pig with chili stuffed under the skin. If ever there was a perfect harmony between good and evil it is Babi Guling. The buttery richness of the pork tempers the chili to perfection.

But the real purpose of my story is to tell you about the best meal I have ever had. I was at Lazer Sports Bar in Sanur on the 5th of July 2006. I remember because France was playing Portugal in the semi finals of the World Cup. I had money on Portugal.

At half time we decided we needed food. Rupiah were dutifully pooled and off trotted one of the locals. Upon his return fat brown paper parcels were handed out. As we ripped into them happy puffs of steam rose to the ceiling fans. These simple brown parcels contained the simplest food. Nasi Campur or ‘mixed rice” topped with chicken, vegetables and peanuts. For dessert we had Terang Bulan. Terang Bulan or Martabak is a type of pancake with your choice of filling. Ours was stuffed with bitter dark chocolate and nuts.

The second half started and we happily feasted. As the game played on people walking past stopped to watch. Some checked the score and moved on, but others lingered. And that was when I saw it. New arrivals who lingered in the entrance of the bar were having a brown paper parcel pushed into their hands. It reminded me of the ‘Canang Sari’, of the Balinese culture of sharing what you are fortunate to have. In Bali food is life and life is a gift.