Imagine this: you have recently arrived as a guest from America to West Indonesia and are about to meet your headmaster after a welcome ceremony on your first day of school. You are whisked away from a crowd of students wanting to take a selfie with you, as your headmaster wants to meet with you for lunch. You are excited to get to know each other, chatting away as you and a teacher serving as a translator arrive at a restaurant by car. The building is beautiful! Like many other buildings and houses around here, its roofs are curved upwards into points to resemble buffalo horns. Inside, you are led to a table where the three of you sit, and before you even ask for a cup of water, three waiters come bringing loads of food. I'm talking grilled and fried chicken, fish, vegetables and peanut sauce, diffferent curries and salsas, and a huge bowl of rice, all organized in smalls dishes layered on top of one another. You are confused because you never saw your headmaster placing an order, so you are left to wonder if this was all pre-arranged on your behalf. You're given a small bowl of water meant for you to wash and wet your hands, as this is how people here usually eat their rice. You were prepared for that custom, but you weren't prepared for all of this food. With a silakah, or please, from your host, you prepare yourself to eat as much as you can so as to show your gratitude.
