Anybody with even a passing familiarity with Indonesian cuisine should be aware that kobokan water is meant for dipping your hands into and not for slurping it like a soup. Hoontamin, a Korean food vlogger, undoubtedly did not know any better, which resulted in a hilarious culinary accident when he recently visited Jakarta. He slurped the kobokan water and thought it was a complimentary drink from the hawker place.
For his YouTube video, the Korean food vlogger visited a street food vendor in Jalan Sabang, a renowned dining area in Indonesia’s capital. He ordered nasi uduk (coconut rice) with grilled fish after hearing about how good it was from one of his subscribers.
Hoontamin was given a tiny basin of kobokan water along with his order, as is common at street vendors without running water for handwashing in Indonesia. Customers often use their right hand to dip their hands into the kobokan before and after eating their food.
The Korean food vlogger, however, took a sip of the kobokan water, thinking it was soup. He was stopped by the owner of the stall, who yelled at him that it was not for drinking but for washing hands.
Hoontamin spat out the water in a state of disbelief and embarrassment. He acknowledged his error and apologised while grinning. He then continued to savour his dinner and extolled the grilled fish and nasi uduk flavour.
The Korean food vlogger’s video gained much attention on social media and garnered several comments from internet users who thought his error was amusing and adorable. According to several online users, soup is frequently given with meals in tiny bowls in Korean culture, which make it understandable why Hootamin mistook the kobokan water as soup or even a free drink.
A few internet users have revealed their accounts of accidentally drinking kobokan water or witnessing another foreigner doing the same. Hoontamin and the other tourists received advice to exercise caution and get permission before consuming any beverages in Indonesia.
Interested in this topic? Check out our other articles from Social Expat:
