FOODS SERVED TO AARM SOLDIERS WITHOUT SPICY SAUCE

Foods to the soldiers taking part in the 14th Asean Armies Rifle Meet (AARM) are not served with spicy sauce to meet the request of the organizing committee in an effort to prevent from possible stomach-ache affecting the servicemen who are competing in the 14th AARM.

"We serve the soldiers with foods of international foods comprising vegetables, lettuce, eggs, soup and meat among other things which are not sharp. The meals are also served without coconut milk be-cause certain persons cannot eat foods containing coconu milk due to their certain illness," supervisor of C.V. Diamond
Wedding Service (a catering service in charge of meals for the soldiers), Soraya said here Tuesday.

In place of spicy sauce, Soraya said her side provides small chili and pick
les when serving the soldiers with foods of ASEAN taste.
However, certain athletes like those from Myanmar have special re-quest, she said, adding, "Myammarese athletes eat no beef so we serve them with eggs, fish and chicken."

According to Soraya who started catering business in 1995, her company which have six cooks, 12-waiters and waitresses in addition to 16 people from the Indonesian Army's Re-serve and Strategic Command (Kostrad), cooks about 40 kilograms of meat, 40 kilograms of chickens and 600 eggs for the soldiers taking part in the 14th AARM per day.

Soraya whose company is able to make 7,000 to 10,000 portions of meals per day said she could enjoy the catering business because the mother of one son and
one daugther meets many people of different ethnics when dealing with the business and some of them be-come her friends or even business partners.

However, Soraya also admitted that she sometimes works in an hectic situation and under pressure. "Among the heaviest job is when we have to serve breakfast for the soldiers at about 5.30 a.m. as we have - to- prepare the folds and drinks for them since at wee hours (2 a.m.) or even we work round the clock.

Some 500 soldiers are taking part in the shooting competition among the soldiers of the armies of ASEAN member countries• Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar
• in Cilodong West Java, from September 1 to 8, 2004.