Talk about a “world brand”. Nothing confirms the power of branding around the globe than...
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WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY The traffic Department at Central Jakarta has fiddled... -
Our Farewell Ya Udah Bistro Blog: Indonesia Wises Up to Global Eats For the final weekly... -
A Two-part Farewell Blog from Ya Udah Bistro It is a common truism that “Everybody has...
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Salad is smart right now, around the world. Salads are big because of the pandemic... -
No, not names for crazy babies, though in fact being saddled with an impossible or... -
Human behavior, when dealing with an unknown, can be curious. “Please come in” is always... -
Let’s take beer. No, seriously, have a beer. Have another. Don’t worry – the Bistro... -
Globalization: that’s the ticket. At least for our corporate masters. The thrust of enterprise over... -
There’s trouble in communications, in an age of acceleration, when a simple message error can... -
Technology is a trickster, and one impossible to avoid or evade. It has burrowed its way... -
A Global Trend the Virus has Supercharged It’s all the same actually – only the names... -
The Eternal Shadow of Inflation Sweeps Onward Best to impart the bad news first and then... -
There are a number of ways to slice’n’dice humanity, but one outstanding difference is to... -
The culture of a region is not completely limited by national borders, except in the... -
We truly live in a world of magic. In fact, it is astounding to consider... -
THE CONTROVERSY OVER DUAL-PRICING: YOUR OPINION? When considering whether visitors from overseas should pay more to... -
As a kid I was vaguely interested in astronomy, but could never figure how the... -
There is a degree of annoyance and disappointment in dealing with the “youth culture” which... -
Just kidding! Naw, we are not kidding about the robot takeover: I’m kidding about the... -
The internet has been a wonder and a blessing for billions of people around the... -
Oh how sad, how stressful it must be to be filthy rich these days. What?? Why... -
The world can be an inexplicable, dangerous place. Thus travelers often prefer the familiar. Brits... -
What a strange, uneasy time it is to live in … We re going to talk... -
How often do you hear somebody whining “I’m bored” these days? No? Not even some... -
We proffer a sincere welcome to yet another buzzword, ripe with technological sparkle and cutting-edge... -
Ah for the good old days – come in, plunk down, yell for the waiter... -
(I hope anyway.) The digital sorcerers of Silicon Valley make some pretty far-reaching promises, aiming... -
Conjectures of Conspiracy down through the Ages Information possesses pressure. The more urgent the demand for... -
HEY! Look what happened to us: Best German bars around the world Here’s what CNN says about... -
What to do about investing? Those who have a lot of money (present company excepted,... -
Pep us up, Pop. Give us some cheery stories, funny events, merry happenings. We’ve had... -
Dear Ya Udah Bistro Patron, A month on from our last message, we hope you and... -
Hard times, sad times, unease and suffering – and then, in a flash , you... -
Intergenerational conflict must be as old as humanity: the parent disappointed because the child does... -
One of the most famous memes-of-movies, and one associated with the biggest gamble: a surprisingly... -
Well well well what to believe. What is true and what is snot. Alas, the... -
Dear Valued Ya Udah Bistro Patron, We wish to extend our sincere hopes for your safety... -
Humans and Their Animals, Pets & Their People My dear niece, married to a veterinarian, writes... -
Formula 1 driver. Marlboro smoker. Sir Jackie Stewart: “In the 1960s, the chances of a Formula... -
Everybody in the world has come close together… and not just because of the surge... -
People do indeed have unusual hobbies, avocations that you might not imagine are, well, quite... -
Well dear Ya Udah Bistro eaters and readers: living in Indonesia you might be unaware... -
Hey. Remember ‘1984’? It was a book, then a film… and then the year itself rolled around: Nineteen... -
It’s a new decade, YaUdah Bistro patrons, and we salute you with sincere appreciation for... -
It is an era of fakery. Those whom we have relied on and kept the... -
When I worked for a Dutch engineer at a German company in Indonesia (mixed-up enough?)... -
Imagine this combative scenario, with e-mails crackling back and forth through cyber-space, between several high-pressure... -
Just imagine visiting glorious Alaska… …in its glorious abbreviated summer – say, around July. All... -
Well the holiday season is upon us, BLAM! … and it’s next to impossible to escape,... -
Ho Ho Ho, and to all a very Merry – Whaa?? Do we not see... -
‘Drinking is bad for you.’ Now there is one of the very few statements that... -
That we live in an amazing time of change, ever-accelerating, is beyond doubt. Technology has... -
The telephone rang. And rang and rang. OK, I picked it up, expecting the worst. You... -
No profession is more stressful than that of medicine. First there is medical school –... -
Everybody likes music. Most people have music they cannot forget. Some love music. Except Salvador Dalí. Could... -
COMPETITIONS YOU CAN SIMPLY DISBELIEVE IN “Citizens today apparently have too much time on their hands.... -
Do people listen anymore? And if they do not, is it any surprise? Does it... -
RESIST THE CORPORATE SWEETENER CONSPIRACY Hey who’s this cute fellow? ‘Hi! I’m Clarence the Cancer Cell. Can... -
“LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE” “I do not like hospitals. I always think of them as... -
SOME PLACES SHOULD NOT HAVE CELL PHONE ACCESS You pay $18 a ticket to see a... -
NOT JUST “FAT-SHAMING” – IT’S A BURDEN TO SOCIETY With the rise of big Big Government... -
San Miguel, a very ambitious FMCG conglomerate, Philippines-based with a worldwide reach, had a problem... -
Unfortunately, the world’s cities have tended to grow wildly, inefficiently and even crazily, like weeds,... -
A FOOD-LOVER’S TOUR OF JAKARTA’S ELITE MARKETS PART 4 – CONVENIENCE STORE LAYOUT: FRESTIVE HORNS IN,... -
A FOOD-LOVER’S TOUR OF JAKARTA’S ELITE MARKETS PART 3 – AL FRES OR ALL FRESH? ALL... -
A FOOD-LOVER’S TOUR OF JAKARTA’S ELITE MARKETS PART 2 – STARTING DOWN-MARKET: TOTAL BUAH SEGAR A relative... -
A FOOD-LOVER’S TOUR OF JAKARTA’S ELITE MARKETS PART 1 – INTRODUCTION During the 1970s living in Indonesia... -
If you are old enough you will remember grocery stores loading all your purchases in... -
It is an enduring concern for parents: why do their cute little children absolutely love... -
THE MAD & BAD BIKERS OF INDONESIA Now the chances they... -
The mad motorbikers of Indonesia Dear Gourmet Reader & Lover of... -
A TOAST TO THE ‘TATERS Delicious, Difficult, Exquisite Tubers Can you even imagine a time... -
STICK WITH SECOND-TIER CITIES There are more tourists touring the planet today than ever (and annoying... -
PART TWO OF A TWO-PART VISIT TO ARID-ZONE USA Nobody in my West Java neighborhood seems... -
PART ONE OF A TWO-PART VISIT TO ARID-ZONE USA Human civilization has had to fight long... -
One of the most popular dishes at Ya Udah Bistro is the pasta – Mamma... -
Weird & Wonderful Names In Indonesia & abroad Well the mass election season has just passed,... -
Now just look at these alert, strong, arrogantly fit showoffs: the question that arises in... -
When this writer arrived in Indonesia, precisely 31 years ago, everything was new and exotic…... -
by Capt. Wong Wei Corgen Imagine Felix Acero, a long-term expatriate businessman sitting in First Class... -
Of all the spectacular and gigantically-expensive failures bedeviling the USA in recent years (over and... -
THE HAPPY DAY ARRIVES, CHURCH BELLS ARE CLANGING, ALL ARE DRESSED IN THEIR FINEST FOR THE... -
Now by the time you force your way through Jakarta traffic and arrive at Ya... -
Well he went and did it. David Goodall was not interested in making headlines around... -
Why are people so fat these days? WHO tells us that nearly 30% of the... -
I write these lines on 22 November, a date which, unless you are an American... -
‘Governments are hypocrites’ growl the Libertarians. On one hand the Nanny State admonishes its citizens... -
It’s worldwide news: John Allen Chau, a young American dope religious fanatic sorry, I mean... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
In Part-1 we looked at some examples of policies and attitudes which fail to support... -
Bali Nusa Dua Beach By Mr. Evan Jones Recent announcements by the Jokowi government that Indonesia aims... -
WE CONTINUE THE TALE OF THE FIVE ADVENTURESOME EXPATS IN JAKARTA Once again, the dramatis personæ: Droll... -
Grub & grog are promptly ordered from the rich Ya Udah Bistro menu. WE CONTINUE THE... -
Grub & grog are promptly ordered from the rich Ya Udah Bistro menu. WE CONTINUE THE... -
Where would art be without food? And thirsty. And unfulfilled. Think about it. One of the... -
‘Chew Your Milk’, the Yogis say Now did your beloved mother and father use psychological warfare... -
by Bakhirun Two rambling metropolises in Southeast Asia – differences and similarities, historical, social and political,... -
So foodie superstar Anthony Bourdain has hosted his own necktie party – most unexpectedly, as... -
Grub & grog are promptly ordered from the rich Ya Udah Bistro menu. WE CONTINUE THE... -
A pleasant, if noisy, late afternoon powwow at Ya Udah Bistro in old Menteng. Eats, drinks, fun... -
“Come on now, stop that, quit toying with your broccoli. Don’t look at me like... -
As once again the Holy Islamic Month of Fasting, or Ramadhan, approaches, from one and... -
When hoteliers gather together at Ya Udah Bistro to enjoy each other’s company you can... -
It had been some months since they had sat down together for a fine meal... -
Do you approve of the way cars look these days? Do people even care any... -
We tend to hang onto our preconceptions of people and places – and will then... -
One tends to forget pleasant, comforting experiences until they occur once again, reminding us of... -
Are manners important? Manners used to be important. Why are manners no longer important? Remember... -
…does not exist, dear Yaudah Bistro patron. For thousands of years now the innocent, roly-poly,... -
Woof! it’s Chinese New Year at Ya Udah Bistro, once again We’re in luck, folks. Well, sort of. It’s... -
Valentine’s Day coming up (at least in Japan and Western countries). February 14th, like clockwork.... -
(Heckyll): ‘What a stupid question.’ (Jeckyll): ‘No it’s not. It’s… it’s a rhetorical question. <HIC> A... -
Travellers, Be Prepared The two nice wealthy Indonesian ladies were enjoying a romp around Europe without... -
Ya Udah Bistro welcomes smokers, unlike the great majority of eateries in Jogjakarta and Jakarta;... -
It’s not that simple of an ostensibly rhetorical question to answer. There are so many... -
There are all sorts of places to go and enjoy yourself and all sorts of... -
AS WE COMPLETE ANOTHER ORB, we pause to reflect. Now doesn’t it seem to be... -
No no no no that’s not precisely correct there all you rambunctious Ya Udah Bistro... -
Ask anybody anywhere if they are cannibals? POW! You just got a black eye. ‘Hey! Don’t... -
You work in Jakarta, and not by choice: that’s where you are assigned. Then you... -
Oh yes, oh yes, he did travel all the way to China, or at least... -
Not a fatty among them! This American expatriate deplanes in San Francisco and looks around him... -
Sometimes you can’t win. My American friend Jim is an example. Jim loves Indonesia; his... -
Germany’s famed celebration of life with food – drink – music – good company, most... -
Indonesians – God bless them – put up with a lot. Terrible traffic, uncertain &... -
Presenting Prost & König Ludwig Weissbier Thanks to the Dutch the Indonesians know how to bake... -
Not simply the ‘call to independence’ – this is actually how Indonesian freedom fighters greeted...
