a Jakarta, Indonesia
Welcome back to the UO Global Gifting Guide! Today’s gifting suggestions come to us from Indonesia via Amanda Subagio, BS ’99 (Business Administration with a double concentration in finance and accounting) and current student Rifanty Kahfiani. Following their personal gift picks, Amanda and Rifanty have also shared some information about popular gifting holidays in Indonesia.
Amanda Subagio is currently Director at Tiga Group, a family-owned internet and network solutions company. She founded her own entertainment and events agency, Adroitz, which she ran for over 12 years. Amanda’s diverse career has also included a stint in corporate finance. Her latest undertaking is the establishment of the wellness community Lemonaid (on Instagram: @lemonaid.id).
Amanda is also co-founder of a wellness community called Lemonaid. She shares that, “this year has taken a lot from us, but has also given a lot of lessons and in its own weird ways. I am always learning how to be more compassionate and loving to my fellow human beings and to this beloved earth of ours. Let us Love more, laugh more, and live more!” Amanda is Vice President of the University of Oregon Alumni Association’s Indonesia Chapter.
Rifanty Kahfiani is set to graduate next term (Winter 2021) with a Bachelor’s degree in Operations and Business Analytics. Rifanty is on the UO women’s tennis team (team profile here). This year, she clinched Oregon’s first Pac-12 win since 2018 with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win at the No. 1 spot to cap off a 4-2 victory against Arizona. Rifanty has taught at UO Tennis camps and is a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Representative.
Amanda Subagio, BS ’99
Multitalented professional currently Director at Tiga Group and Co-Founder of Lemonaid wellness community
Top gifts: Trends and traditions
Cookies, treats, and confections
Kue Kering (Indonesian “dry” cookies – recipe here) has always popular and many times perfected. We also give the popular trio of Kaastengels (cheese stick derived from Dutch – recipe here), Nastar (pineapple filling butter cookies – recipe here), and Putri Salju (sago based cookies covered in powdered sugar, in English meaning “Snow
Princess Cookies” – recipe here) remain to be seen over the years. Also “Kue Lapis Legit” or Layer Cake is very popular for its taste and difficultness of baking. This cake symbolizes “layers of good fortune”. The UO Gifting Guide post on Singapore has more information and a recipe for this cake.
House plants
Gardening and keeping greenery in the house has been extremely popular. Living in Jakarta, there is not as much green space as one might like to be available, so keeping the house green has been a big trend and most people are very happy to receive a housplant as a gift.
Handmade, natural home and body care
Anything homemade is popular since this year everybody has suddenly given people more opportunity to begin new home-based hobbies.
Natural home and body care products have become the New IT items! Homemade soap, soy wax candles, and natural room and body sprays are just a few examples. We have been sharing information and classes on making some of these items in the Lemonaid wellness community!
-And again, food, food, and baking goods are being made, gifted, and enjoyed by nearly everyone!
Top gifts: Personal picks
The new iPad
Most people know how great the new iPad is for working and creating on the go! It is also great for video calls, reading, and watching streaming shows and movies.
Online classes and worrkshops
Online classes, workshops, and learning subscriptions are some of my favorite gift ideas this year. I am currently a fan of the digital learning platform MasterClass, where there are still some great holiday promotions going on!
Succulents and pretty house plants
I also like to have plenty of greenery in my home! Succulents are beautiful and relatively easy to care for. They are also a gift that keeps giving because it is very easy to make clippings and gift them to others to grow.
A composter!
I am currently learning and doing composting. I have been enjoying it as a way to share awareness about managing our waste.
Rifanty Khafiani
Current Operations and Business Analytics student. UO Tennis star and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Representative
Top gifts: Trends and traditions
Dalgona coffee
Dalgona Coffee is sometimes called a “reversed cappucino”. It is made by whipping instant coffee, sugar, and hot water until it is stiff and then spooning it over milk (either hot or cold). This recipe shares three different variations for making dalgona coffee – I highly recommend it!
Indomie Goreng (instant fried noodles)
Indomie Goreng is a very common street/comfort food and is a wonderful meal to enjoy as a gift between friends!
It is a fried noodle dish that can be made with many kinds of noodles – but instant noodles (similar to Ramen or Maggi) are the most common and best!
You can see some good information about the special ingredients in Indomie Goreng by reading this recipe and article – especially the sauce that includes varieties of soy and oyster sauce, ketchup, chili paste and sesame oil!
Regal pudding
Regal pudding is great in combination with dalgona coffee. This combination makes for a very indulgent treat! Regal pudding is a layered pudding with biscuits/cookies. You can learn more and try it out with this recipe.
Batik cloth items
You may or may not be familiar with batik, a wax-resist dyeing process from Indonesia. Families of artisans have created batik for generations, and many of the designs and colors are for specific meanings or occasions. You can learn about batik as a UNESCO intangible heritage of Indonesia by watching the video here.
In recent years, batik sarongs have become popular in the U.S. and elsewhere. While these versatile garments are worn in many ways by both men and women in Indonesia, they are popular as skirts of swimsuit cover-ups here.
My top gifts: Personal picks
Perfume
Perfume is one of my favorite gifts to receive! Right now my “most wanted” perfume is Ambre Vanillé Eau Gourmande (Amber Vanilla) by Laura Mercier.
Fuzzy socks
These, along with sweatpants, are what can help people like me who come from warmer climates get through Oregon winter. Fuzzy socks are a simple gift that can feel very comforting and luxurious!
Sweatpants
Sweatpants are m best friend during the colder months here in Oregon! I am a fan of Nike sweatpants, s those are definitely on my gift list!
A food processor
I love to cook at home for a variety of reasons, including saving money, being creative, and eating healthy! A food processor would make it much easier for me to create the delicious dishes I like to make for myself and my friends and teammates. Cauliflower pizza and pasta have been favorites!
Gifting in Indonesia
Amanda and Rifanty have share that holidays they have observed and seen/helped others observe in Indonesia include Lebaran (Eid Fitri), Christmas, and Chinese New Year.
Amanda shares about the basic ideas, traditions, and sentiments behind these holidays: “Lebaran is the end (culmination point) of a Ramadhan month-long fasting of for Muslims where we try to refrain from our daily habits of indulgence (food, drink, negative emotions, ego) to become a better person. Christmas is, of course, the celebration of the birth of Christ when people focus on family, gratitude, and giving. Chinese Lunar NewYear is about sharing and wishing for abundance in health and wealth.”
Everybody gives to everybody, including friends, families and business partners. We also give to those less fortunate. We usually give to people who work in mosques and people who are the most needy, such as homeless people and those with very low income.
During Christmas and Lebaran both, people organize a lot of charity. This year due to the pandemic, more collective efforts for donation were done. An increasing number of people also use their birthday to post kind requests for donations on their behalf to certain charities instead of asking for
gifts.
Indonesia Ducks
The Indonesia Ducks bring together the University of Oregon alumni community through annual events and activities, primarily in Jakarta. These events are a great place to stay connected to other Ducks in the area, network, and learn about the current happenings at the UO. Currently, there are over 600 Ducks in the Indonesia Ducks University of Oregon Alumni Associaton Chapter network!
Indonesia Ducks Mission: To strengthen the University of Oregon and University of Oregon Alumni Association community in Indonesia by fostering lifelong relationships and helping Indonesian UO alumni become champions, cheerleaders, ambassadors, and advocates for the university.
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