TORAJA: BAD FOR BUFFALOS

Many documentaries have been made about the funerary practices of Torajans, who live in the central highlands of Sulawesi, a volcanic island in eastern Indonesia on the edge of the Sulu Sea. Just north of Bali and Lombok, the ruggedly beautiful upland is cloaked with the brilliant green of rice paddies, stands of bananas, patches of coffee and cacao, and punctuated by gaudily-colored roosters, snuffling black pigs, and some of the ugliest dogs you ever laid eyes on.
The star of the show, however, is the water buffalo, prized among animals for its endless usefulness. It's fair to say that the rich variety of Torajan life could not go on without the invaluable buffalo. The guy on the left, about seven years old, led by a ring through his nose (not 100% effective, by the way), is especially valuable because of his coloring. Solid black is not as pleasing to the gods, and animal sacrifice is a major part of Torajan funeral rites.

IN PRAISE OF RICE

The Global Foodie reports in!

Take a good look at your next bowl of rice. Be it boring white, yellow and fragrant with saffron, fried golden brown for nasi goreng or a similar dish, or Arborio in a risotto, bet you never thought about how it got to your table. I'm sitting at an internet cafe in Rantepao, Toraja, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and have just spent the day hiking through miles of stunningly beautiful rice paddies. I also tried my hand at threshing rice (maybe twenty whacks against a board, four minutes total and that was enough, thank you very much). The women who'd let me try the task laughed at me, and went back to threshing, which they would do for ten hours each day. As pay, they get 20% of the harvest.