Commotion About Padang Babiambo Restaurant, Chef Rinrin Marinka Said There Was No Problem, But..

Chef Rinrin Marinka spoke about the Padang Babiambo restaurant, which served pork rendang. (Photo @rinrinmarirnka)

JAKARTA – The furore about Padang's rendang culinary made from pork like the one sold by Babiambo restaurant in Kelapa Gading Timur, Jakarta, made famous chef Rinrin Marinka speak up. Because she has been honest by including non-halal food, there should be no problem, but she said, there are other factors that must be considered by restaurant owners.

According to her, actually modifying food from any ingredients is fine, but culinary entrepreneurs must have careful consideration before making and selling their creations. Especially in the midst of a heterogeneous public like in Indonesia.

Food modification will enrich the culinary treasure itself. "Modifications actually give new colors and creations that make the food more varied and colorful, although not all of them are successful, there are still hits and misses, of course," said the former Indonesian Master Chef judge to VOI.

Especially in the case that occurred at the Padang Babiambo stall, in her view, the owner is trying to present a different concept. "Even though the owner of the restaurant wants a different concept from the others and targets the marketing system with a viral goal or doesn't really think too long about the Indonesian market, some of the food ingredients are quite sensitive," she explained.

However, what has been done by the restaurant has been clear that it does sell non-halal food. But this is the context of Indonesia, which has a close relationship between customs and food. This condition must be considered by the restaurant owner.

"Actually, there has been a warning that if it is non-halal, there should be no problem. But again, because Indonesia has close ties between customs and food which are interconnected, all of that must be thought out carefully before starting and also be aware of the risks and consequences," said the woman who studied culinary arts at the Grand Diploma of French Cuisine & Patisserie Le Cordon Bleu, Sydney, Australia.

Regarding the rendang Padang scene that occurred at the Padang Babiambo stall, Rinrin Marinka had wise advice. Therefore, be careful before presenting something to the public. The problem is that when it is in the public domain, it is difficult to control. “We can't control what people say and think. What we can do is change ourselves and what we do and put ourselves in various angles, for example, in the position of the owner or netizen," she said, ending her comments about this.