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APRIL 17 2000 VOL. 155 NO. 15
Kretek Arrive
at any Indonesian airport and your initial assault, even before you get
to the taxi drivers, will be from the scent of kretek, the clove-blended
cigarettes unique to this nation. The fragrant (detractors say sickeningly
sweet) smell of kretek permeates almost every corner of the vast archipelago,
from bars and cafés to mosques and government offices, so much so that
it is generally taken for granted. That is, until now. In Kretek: The
Culture and Heritage of Indonesia's Clove Cigarettes, first-time author
Mark Hanusz explores the product's rich cultural and commercial history.
Two years ago, the 29-year-old American ditched his job as a stockbroker
in Jakarta and spent 18 months traveling across Indonesia and to the Netherlands
in pursuit of this uniquely Indonesian product, a blend of tobacco, dried
cloves and a special sauce that varies with each of the 1,800 brands on
the market. The results are impressive. Hanusz presents a beautifully
illustrated and detailed account of this 120-year-old industry that is
as inseparable from Javanese culture as its shadow puppets. The book is
a groundbreaking work of research that will appeal as much to anthropologists
as it will to those curious to learn more about that strange smell found
only in Indonesia. ASIANOW Travel Home Quick Scroll: More stories from TIME Travel Watch |
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