serang survival guide: how i almost got slapped for eating wrong
okay, real talk. i’m a budget student from jakarta who got stuck in serang for a semester because my.ui scholarship randomly placed me here. nobody told me about the unspoken rules. i learned everything the hard way-mostly by glaring at people and getting glared back. first, the vibe: it’s not ‘vibrant,’ it’s… sticky. like the air is a damp towel left in a car. right now? brutal heat that makes your textbook pages warp. you can practically taste the humidity. but hey, at least rent is a joke. i pay 300k rupiah a month for a kost with a bathroom that flushes if you beg it. safety? feels safer than my aunt’s neighborhood in Bekasi, but don’t wander alone at night near the port. jobs here? mostly government or teaching. my friend’s mom works at the regency office and says it’s all about the right santri connections.
let’s get to the messy part: not offending people. i messed up day one. i bought nasi padang from a warung, pointed at the food, and just… took it. the auntie looked at me like i’d kicked her dog. turns out, you’re supposed to say “mau pesan” or at least “bisa minta?” even if you’re pointing. also, don’t eat while walking. people will side-eye you like you’re committing a crime against decency. eat standing at the stall, or sit down. period.
> overheard at sate kambing m. ata: “these jakarta kids, they eat on the go? no wonder their stomachs are so weak.”
hand gestures! okay, so in jakarta we do the chin-nod, “yo.” here? risky. pointing with your index finger is apparently super rude. use your thumb if you have to. and the “come here” palm-down flick? absolute nuclear option. you’ll get told off by an elderly person so fast your head will spin. use your whole hand, palm up, gentle. like you’re offering a dang lumpia, not summoning a pet.
> drunk advice from a local uni student at leto’s cafe: “if you want to seem less jakarta, say ‘g’ instead of ‘saya’ and say ‘nanggrip’ instead of ‘menangkap’. but don’t overdo it, you’ll look try-hard.”
dress code. serang is more pious than jakarta, but not jakarta-level strict. still, don’t wear shorts that show your knees if you’re going to the mosque or even the sate stall near the big mosque. tie a sarong if you’re a guy, it’s cheap and shows respect. girls, cover shoulders. a simple scarf works. i got a dirty look in a spaghetti strap at the taman kota. learned that lesson.
money talk. haggling is expected at pasar but not at fixed-price spots. if you’re at a warung with listed prices, don’t try to bargain. they’ll just shake their head and serve you anyway, but you’ll feel like a jerk. and for the love of god, don’t argue over 500 rupiah. it’s insulting.
> something a pasar ibu warned me: “if you buy kerupuk and don’t finish the whole kantong, we think you’re wasteful. take only what you’ll eat.”
short drive? you’re like, 2 hours from lampung’s beaches if you take the ferry, or an hour to pandeglang’s rice terraces. but serang itself? it’s about the se FOOD. go to sate kambing haji muhidin (the line is your proof) and just eat. don’t ask for substitutions. it’s sacrilege.
last thing: when someone offers you minuman or makanan as a guest, you say yes. even if you’re full. refusing is a big no-no. take a small bite, compliment the ibu. it’s about the social glue, not the hunger.
read more horror stories: r/indonesia has threads on serang culture shock https://www.reddit.com/r/indonesia/search/?q=serang. tripadvisor forums are full of confused tourists https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g297703-i12484-Serang_Banten_Province.html. and for actual local eats, yelp’s kinda dead but this blog by a bisnis student helped me not starve https://www.makanbisnis.com/serang-warung-list.
anyway, i still get stuff wrong daily. but i haven’t been slapped yet. so that’s a win.
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