The Long Table Lunch, 5 October 12:00pm – 3:00pm, Rondji Restaurant

Join us in a culinary journey across the Indonesian Archipelago. Savour specialities from Sumatra to Ambon as dished up by one of Jakarta’s hottest chefs, Marco Padang, Rondji’s chef Meidy Zuhri, and URWF’s own Janet de Neefe. As you sit back with a view over the Campuhan Ridge rub shoulders with extraordinary authors from the East and relish in a once-in-a-lifetime-meal from the fabled Spice Islands.

FEATURING

Janet DeNeefe, the Founder & Director of Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, is a Melbourne-born artist, author and restaurateur who has lived in Bali for nearly three decades. Her memoir Fragrant Rice charts her love affair with Balinese food, culture and traditions. Her latest book is Bali: Food of My Island Home.

Chuah Guat Eng, broke the silence of Malaysian women writing in English in 1994 with her first novel Echoes of Silence. She has since published Tales from the Baram River(2001), a collection of Sarawak Folk Tales retold for children; The old House and Other Stories(2008); a second novel Days of Change(2010) and Dream Stuff(2014), a new collection of short stories.

Andrew Lam is a writer and cofounder and editor of New American Media, an association of over 2000 ethnic media organisations in the America. Born in Vietnam and coming to the US when he was 11 years old Lam has a Master in Fine Arts from San Francisco State University in creative writing, and a BA degree in biochemistry from UC Berkeley.

Chef Marco Lim was born in West Sumatra, where he became an expert at the history and creation of Padang cuisine. He is owner and chef of Marco Padang Grill.

Can Xue was born in Changsa City in Hunan Province, Southern China. In 1957 her father, an editorial director of the New Hunan Daily was condemned as an Ultrarightist and sent to reform through labour, and her mother, who worked at the same newspaper, was sent to the countryside for labour too. Can Xue lost her chance for further education and only graduated from a local elementary school. Can Xue has published numerous short stories and five novels which have all been translated into English.

Khrishna Udayasankar is the author of The Aryavatar Chronicles
a best selling series of mytho-historical novels that have received critical acclaim, and Objects of Affecton a series of prose-poems that form the story of a relationship seen through the eyes of everyday inanimate objects.

Ian Burnet has spent 30 years living, working and travelling in Indonesia. Fascinated by the diverse cultures and history of the archipelago, he believed the story of the tiny islands of Ternate and Tidore and their effect on world history needed to be told. His book Spice Islands tells the history, romance and adventure of the spice trade over 2000 years. It has received critical acclaim and has been described as “a wonderful book – a triumph of passion and scholarship”.

The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is one of the great events on the planet because it incorporates books, ideas, music, dance, food and film all in the village atmosphere of Ubud in Bali. For the full program go to http://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/2014-program/