Daily Life — Food, Drink, Markets, Clothing, Home

The daily food, clothing, and shelter of Bali run much deeper than tourist-restaurant menus would suggest. A single plate of Nasi Campur carries the ritual food Lawar, the sacred Babi Guling, and 14 regional variations of Sambal. The Sarong is not merely a garment but the credential to enter a temple; the thousand-year-old building code Asta Kosala Kosali dictates the direction of the door, the placement of the shrine, the position of the kitchen in a Balinese house.

This Part takes a local observer's view of what foreigners see every day but rarely understand.

Chapters in this Part

• 6.1 The Structure of Food — The composition of Nasi Campur, Lawar (ritual food), Babi Guling·Bebek Betutu (sacred dishes), 14 kinds of Sambal (regional variants), the typology of Warung (local eatery)
• 6.2 Drinks — Kopi Bali·Kopi Luwak, kinds of Jamu (herbal drinks), Arak (Balinese distilled liquor) and the 2009 incident, the history of Bintang beer
• 6.3 Markets (Pasar) — How the dawn Pasar runs (3–6 a.m.), Pasar Senggol (evening night market), traditional markets vs supermarkets (Pepito, Coco, Bintang)
• 6.4 Clothing & Appearance — Sarong·Selendang·Udeng (men's headcloth), Kebaya (women's ceremonial dress), Saput (men's ceremonial wrap), the line between everyday and ceremonial dress
• 6.5 Housing — Asta Kosala Kosali (Balinese architectural code), the eight-building structure of a Balinese compound, the modifications in foreign villas

The depth of this Part

While the blog covers restaurant reviews and clothes to buy, the Field Notes asks why this food is plated this way and why this clothing belongs in this place. Examples:

• The Lawar in Nasi Campur is originally ritual food and sometimes contains pig's blood. This is why a Lawar Putih (white, blood-free) version exists for Muslim visitors.
• The door of a Balinese house always opens toward the mountain (Kaja) and closes toward the sea (Kelod). Many foreign villas violate this code, and why this discomforts local residents.

The articles in this Part reveal the invisible structures behind the visible everyday.