anthony bourdain paased away on june 8, 2018 - 3 weeks shy before his next birthday. i share the same birthday as him, and coincidentally his love for food, travel and dark humour. it is difficult to describe the complex emotions of bourdain's death - i do not know him yet he seemed close and familiar. the loss is not mine to bear yet some ache lingers.
one thing for sure is that part of me faded with his death.
i celebrate tony's unbashful love for pork. he was constantly looking for the best pig meals - evident in his books and shows. like a dark yet aptly joke, his last post on instagram was a plate of his favourite meat - featuring pork in different forms.
in season 2 of no reservations, bourdain has this to say about ibu oka's babi guling (pork roast) in bali.
"no questions about it, this is the best pig i ever had.... i would love to stay here and eat pork till i lose consciousness...."
that was a decade ago, i was told ibu oka is now an institution for tourists. which is an instant red flag meaning they probably don't serve the best pigs anymore.
sorry tony. you didn't have the best pig.
part of the narrative were first published on my facebook on 28/12/2017.
i turned to the food demi-god kf seetoh for a recommendation. when he gives a recommendation, you know it’s going to be good. this is better than good, it’s awesome. if awesome has a taste, this is it.
ibu suci from selingsing cepaka warung babi guling serves the best pig meal money can buy in the indonesian island.
this pork meal was so sinfully delicious, it was probably the reason why pork was banned in some religions. it’s the ultimate penance.
an istimewa (that’s what my teacher called me when I was when I failed math) plate at the eatery include:
of cos, any self respecting glutton need to order extra plates of sayur and tambah (extra) babi.
this was easily the best meal i had.
come early and you might be able to soak in all the vibes of the kitchen - smells, oil and blood splatters. one thing for sure was that the meal will be fresh as live hogs wait for their doomed fate of turning into someone's dinner.
the kitchen alternates between hacking the roasted pig into its constituent parts and cooking the accompanying side dishes of vegetables.
the men do the heavy lifting - dismembering with sinister looking axe and frying chunks of meat in pork lard.
the ladies do the life giving to the meat - seasoning with a secret mix of herbs and chillis, stuffing the blood sausages and setting aside the best gorengan and other prized parts for the staff meal.
i barely scratched the surface of the different dishes from that hog - pots of unknown yet seductive pork parts were laid out. i feel i like a crash course on the anatomy of pig just to comb through the dishes - crispy skin, broiled skin, meats with different variants of spices and herbs, tripe, liver, heart and oh that hideous looking yet delicious blood sausage.
"what about the eyes and ears? i will have a plate too." - i mumbled as i reluctantly left with my impatient driver. the drive back took two hours across bumpy dirt paths amidst padi fields - plenty of time to digest and fantasize about the meal.
ominous as it may be, a photo of a hog roasting over open wood flame, caramelizing in its own fat and coconut water is a beautiful scene. if only my german camera could record smells.
thank you tony for teaching me to love pork.
© 2026 默默 富酷
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