Rest and Eat at Ampera Ajo Saka Restaurant

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In early 2022, I went on a very tiring trip. I drive from Medan City to Rantau Prapat City (my father's hometown) twice in one week. First I leave on December 26, 2021 (because of my cousin's wedding) and return on December 27, and then leave again on January 3, 2022 (visiting my cousin in a car accident). I have to drive a car about 250 km, with a distance of about 7 hours drive. However, do not imagine that the roads in Indonesia are smooth and free of potholes. We still have a big problem in the condition of the roads in our country.

The 7 hour journey, of course, will be very tiring. I also always try not to push myself too much when driving a car. If I get sleepy, I will stop and rest for a while. Likewise, when I am hungry, I will look for a restaurant that suits my taste and of course the price is not too expensive. When driving, I will take a break to eat and drink at a restaurant in Bunut Village, Kisaran City, which is about 4 hours away. Four hours driving a car is also a good time to rest.

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Ampera Ajo Raka Restaurant

This restaurant is located on the side of the Sumatran highway. The shape of the restaurant is very simple and not luxurious. I was once given a tip by a friend of mine to choose a place to eat while on a trip. He advised me to stop at a restaurant with lots of parking (but not luxury cars) or a truck that stops to eat there.

When I stopped at RM. Ampera Ajo Raka, the parking lot is full of cars. I came there around one o'clock in the afternoon, and it was lunch time. Some people were seen ordering food to be wrapped and some were eating on the spot. In Indonesia, there are two types of places to eat that are popular for Indonesians, namely Warung Tegal and Rumah Makan Minang. RM. Ampera Ajo Raka belongs to the Minang Restaurant. For Your Information, Minang is one of the ethnic groups in Indonesia and the majority come from the province of West Sumatra. However, the distribution of Minang Restaurant is already in all corners of Indonesia and even abroad. I know a little history about why this happened, but I'll tell you another time.

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Variations of Food Menu

One of the characteristics of the Padang restaurant is the transparent glass display, and placing various side dishes there. There are various choices, such as fried chicken, curry chicken, grilled chicken, minang omelet, chili fish, fried fish, goat curry, rendang etc. Seeing some of the food on display is sure to make anyone salivate from drooling.

At first, I wanted to eat rendang. I've tried rendang at this place, and I really like the taste. I've imagined eating rice with rendang, then a cup of ice tea looks like it's delicious. Unfortunately, the rendang has run out, because people bought it up at 12 this afternoon. Finally, I chose fried chicken as my side dish.

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Ampera Rice

If you have ever eaten at a Padang restaurant or a Minang Restaurant, there are two ways to choose food. First, a restaurant that has a system that serves all food menus. The restaurant waiter will serve all the food on small plates, and we can choose what we want to eat. Payment will be calculated when you take food from the plate, even if you take a little. This method is a bit of a trap for people who are not familiar with this eating culture. In the past, when I was in college, I once reconciled a foreign tourist who had a fight with the owner of a Padang restaurant because of this problem.

Second, we will immediately order what we will eat on the menu. For example like me this time, rice with chicken or rice with fish. Well, it's called Ampera Rice. Ampera Rice is a complete rice dish with side dishes, curry sauce and chili sauce. Ampera is an abbreviation of the Indonesian language, "Amanat Penderitaan Rakyat" (in English: Mandate of People's Suffering). It can be said, Ampera Rice is food for the people and the marginalized. At Ampera Rice, the portion of rice is more, because small people like us need carbohydrates to be strong in facing the pressures of life.

I enjoyed the dish I ordered, the fried chicken was also very tasty and still hot, maybe freshly cooked and made me even more hungry to eat it. For one serving of this rice. I only paid around IDR 15K (1 USD or 0.8 Hive at the current rate). This price is very cheap to eat at a restaurant that is on the causeway. Indeed, many other restaurants are more upscale but sometimes the prices are too high and the taste is average. Okay, this is my story this time. My message, don't forget to rest, eat, or drink when you are on a long trip and we must not rush because it is dangerous.

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