Gus Dur Cooks Fish Head Curry

JAKARTA - The figure of Abdurrahman Wahid is not only attractive when he is on the throne. The man who is familiarly called Gus Dur has actually been amazing since studying abroad. Cairo (Egypt) and Baghdad (Iraq). He is not like the general kiai's children who only study religion. Most of his activities are filled with the style of enjoying life. Cook one of them. In Baghdad, fish head curry is the magic. Serving homemade food often invites praise: The delicacy is second to none. However, there is a funny story behind it.

Studying Islam in Egypt is a dream for many people. Including Gus Dur. He who is thirsty for knowledge wants to taste the taste of studying at Al-Azhar University. The dream was later realized thanks to a scholarship from the Ministry of Religion. He also went to Cairo, Egypt in 1964. Gus Dur took full advantage of that momentum. He absorbed all kinds of lecture materials related to modern Islamic values. Science is considered to be able to advance the nation and state.

Initially, Gus Dur really enjoyed college activities. However, over time, Gus Dur found boredom. He was disappointed with the education system at Al-Azhar. The famous university while treating Gus Dur like a beginner. He was asked to take basic Arabic lessons. After all, Gus Dur himself had been quite proficient in Arabic since attending school in Jombang. Another disappointment can be seen from other courses which are similar to lessons in Islamic boarding schools. He rebelled. He didn't really care about the lecture hall. He chose to study outside of college.

“Gus Dur's departure to study abroad, both in the Middle East and in Europe and Canada, seems to have had a significant impact on the awareness of a more open and grounded Islam. At the Al-Azhar campus, Gus Dur was not very active in class because almost all of the subjects taught at the Al-Azhar campus had been studied at Islamic boarding schools while in Indonesia. Therefore, when in Egypt, Gus Dur mostly read various books in libraries outside campus, especially at the library of the United States Embassy in Cairo.”

“The hobbies of reading comics and novels, watching movies, and listening to classical music also continued when he was in Cairo. The breadth of his association made Gus Dur quite familiar with the Muslim Brotherhood movement and its leaders. When he was very young at the beginning of the growth of the Muslim Brotherhood, Gus Dur was an admirer of Muslim Brotherhood figures and became a follower of the organization from Jombang," said Ahmad Suaedi in Gus Dur's book, Islam Nusantara, and Citizenship Bhineka (2018).

Al-Azhar campus space is considered not too challenging. The study room that became Gus Dur's favorite in Cairo was transformed from a classroom into the library of the American Embassy in Egypt and a cinema. It makes it easier for him to get the books he wants. Also in terms of film.

He had no trouble finding Russian, Eastern European, and of course French films. Gus Dur really liked the film from the Fashion Country. French films are seen as having honest storytelling and cinematography patterns in revealing the distinctive side of humanity. Some of them such as hatred, sex, to cunning.

“While in Cairo, Gus Dur's passion for carrying him was even higher, especially since the books he wanted were easy to find in the library. For Gus Dur, Cairo is a busy place with a literary life, the search for knowledge and new ideas.”

“In addition, Gus Dur looked for bookstores wherever important. Gus Dur could get the other books he wanted. Furthermore, Gus Dur also frequently attended seminars on religious scholarship which he found interesting and watched European films," wrote Nur Kholik in the book Interconnection of Liberal Islam & Abdurrahman Wahid's Islamic Education (2020).

His disappointment with the formal education system in Egypt continues. This disappointment was compounded by the autocratic style of government of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser (1956-1970). Gus Dur did not feel at home in Egypt. He chose not to continue his studies in 1966. He also seized the opportunity to swerve to study at the University of Baghdad, Iraq.

The choice was because Baghdad promised freedom and higher wages than in Cairo. Gus Dur was able to study while working in Baghdad. As expected, Gus Dur was more in touch with intellectual activities while on campus. He was also encouraged to complete his formal education. He also studied harder and regularly than usual.

“After failing in Cairo, Gus Dur received a scholarship offer from the University of Baghdad. While in Cairo, Gus Dur has experienced a life that he admits has provided benefits for the development of his intellectual insight. He hopes something similar will happen in Baghdad."

“The University of Baghdad since 1960 has changed and followed European standards. Many academics have European educational backgrounds. The pattern of European education is what Gus Dur hoped for in Baghdad, so that students don't just memorize lessons, but are required to read and write papers," explained Munawar Ahmad in Gus Dur's Political Ijtihad: Critical Discourse Analysis (2010).

As a result, Gus Dur went to class more regularly. Besides that, the intellectual life in Baghdad was very promising. Gus Dur also chose to live with 19 other Indonesian students. They rented a villa. Even though he just met, Gus Dur didn't tend to find it difficult to make friends. It has a lot of charm. Good at cooking, one of them. Especially in making fish head curry.

The students – including Gus Dur – took turns preparing daily meals once every 20 days. Gus Dur has always been the star. The dish of fish head curry is something special and eagerly awaited.

However, his choice of cooking fish head curry was not entirely coincidental. Every day, Gus Dur always came across a shop selling fish near where he lived. Abdurrahman often noticed that Iraqis did not eat fish heads. Fish heads are thrown away or given to pets.

After that, Gus Dur went to the fish seller. He asked directly for 20 fish heads to the fish seller. The seller is happy to give it away for free. But Gus Dur often gave some coins as a token of completion. Skeptical fishmonger. Gus Dur was asked what the purpose of the fish heads was. He answered to give it to his pet dog. For my 20 pet dogs, he said.

“But then, one day these students received an official guest from Indonesia. The Indonesian embassy suggested that a special banquet be held at the house. Then, these students, with a distinctive Indonesian style that is difficult for others to imitate, formed a committee and began to make preparations.”

“One of Gus Dur's friends was given the task of cooking and he wanted to prepare a fish dish in addition to the previously planned mutton and beef dishes. He went to the shop that Gus Dur used to visit. The shop owner recognized this person and commented with a laugh: Your friend is very strange. Why? Said Gus Dur's friend. He kept a lot of dogs, the fishmonger said. Imagine, 20 dogs! This student went home and took out his anger on Gus Dur,” concluded Greg Barton in the book Biography of Gus Dur (2003).

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