I remember being taken to a supposedly famous eating place in Makassar for lunch after coming back from Tana Toraja. It was not so much of a posh place like what most tourists are expected to frequent when they are traveling in style but more of the dish served. It was buffalo meat we were going to get and it was the eating place's specialty! I suppose it was Coto Makassar we were talking here, a stew of nuts and spices with beef parts which sometimes include the brain, tongue and intestine. Some of us were eager to sink their teeth on the meat but I was not so sure of the Indian ladies who were traveling in the group. Indians, if they are Hindus, do not take beef, but I was not so sure if buffalo's meat is counted as beef and is forbidden. The beef dish didn't appeal to me anyway and together with the Indian friends, we had some chicken rice instead. At times like this, I'd rather that we were served other types of traditional food like pisang epe for instance. Many street vendors especially around Losari Beach sell Pisang epe, which are bananas, pressed, grilled, and covered with palm sugar sauce and sometimes eaten with durian. Bananas probably appeals more to the Indian ladies and God knows if there is a religion in the world that forbids the consumption of bananas- the fruit served in whatever way, I mean!Can you guess which is Coto Makassar and which is pisang epe?
Traveling Tip: You can choose your food!Sulawesi Surprise! is coming to an end!