Kay Shan Tammy, Singaporean tennis athlete (two from the right-wearing a hat without glasses) with her teammates before competing at the FIKK UNESA Tennis Court.
Unesa. AC ID. SURABAYA—Apart from being a competition and medal event, the ASEAN University Games (AUG) XXI 2024 also provides an opportunity for delegation teams from each country to experience the atmosphere, culture and culinary specialties of East Java (Jatim), Indonesia as the host.
Arriving at United Color of Java, there were various comments from athletes and coaches from various countries regarding East Java or Indonesia in general. As stated by Thanakorn Srichaphan, a Thai tennis coach, for example.
He admitted that this was the first time he had set foot in Surabaya and East Java during his life. It turns out that for him Surabaya is one of the big cities with lots of traffic and vehicles.
However, he was not surprised, because big cities are economic centers where lots of people work. There are also lots of offices, like in other big cities in other countries.
Thanakorn Srichaphan, Thai tennis coach at FIKK UNESA Tennis Court.
Thanakorn Srichaphan admitted that he was happy with the people of Surabaya who according to him were very friendly in welcoming him and his team. He not only found hospitality at the tournament location, but also outside the tournament.
According to him, the people of Surabaya were also kind, happy to help and show directions when asked for something. The part that makes him salute is the culture of greeting each other. "The people are nice," he said after the tournament at UNESA on Friday, June 28 2024.
The same thing was also expressed by Brunei Darussalam futsal athlete, Syahmi Ikhwan. According to him, Indonesian people are very friendly and make him feel comfortable. He admitted that he enjoyed meeting and greeting the host people.
This impression made him and his compatriots often talk about Indonesian people who are friendly and always smile to greet them. "I think the people here are really friendly," he said.
What about East Javanese culinary? Max Jing Xuyeo, a Singapore tennis athlete, admitted that he likes the taste of crackers in Surabaya. This is different from crackers in his country.
Max Jing Xuyeo, Singapore Tennis athlete after a tennis match at the FIKK UNESA Tennis Court.
Krupuk di Surabaya is very distinctive and has many variations of taste. In fact, for each type of food, the types of crackers are different. “Food is amazing and really yummy. "I like green chicken (green chili chicken), curry chicken and crackers," said the Singaporean athlete who won the silver medal in men's team tennis.
Similarly, Kay Shan Tammy, a Singaporean tennis athlete, said that the food in East Java delicious and lots of variants to choose from. The friendly attitude of East Javanese and Indonesian people in general makes it comfortable to enjoy typical East Javanese dishes.
According to him, some of the food in Indonesia tastes almost the same as the food in his country, there are also some that are very different it feels like. Enjoying many types of food makes him happy because it is part of cultural insight that is important to know.
Brunei Darussalam futsal coach, Muhammad Abdul Azim, said that the food in Surabaya is suitable for his tongue, lots of spices and spicy.
He shared his experience when he first tried spicy noodles in Indonesia. At first he thought the noodles were ordinary with the taste that is generally found in his country. However, when he tried it, he was surprised to find that the noodles were very spicy.
That didn't make him give up, it actually made him want to take his family one day on holiday in Surabaya or East Java and explore its culinary delights. "After the tournament ends, I want to walk around Surabaya (after my match is finished, I want to walk around Surabaya)," he said. []
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Reporters: Lina Lubabatul Karimah (FBS), Muhamad Ja'far Sodiq (FIP), and Farhan Bachtiar (Fisipol)
Editor: @zam*
Photo: UNESA Public Relations Team
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