Re: OT: Worcestershire sauce

Andreas Johansson wrote:
> If I've got it right, there's multiple cultures on Java, but only one
known
> as "Javanese". Could be wrong, of course. (See, the pro-drop disease is
> spreading!) Roger Mills can perhaps clarify?
>
Not very much, I fear.  Java was not my field of interest, though I lived
there-- not by choice-- for approx. 2/3 of the year I spent in Indonesia.
Furthermore I think it's fair to say I experienced a good deal of culture
shock, esp. with respect to the food.  The defining characteristic for me
(and other Indonesians focused on this as well) was the extreme
politeness-to-a-fault which probably results from the rather rigidly
stratified and status-conscious society.

Between urbanized/rural, high/low etc.-- there's probably as much cultural
difference as one finds in most societies. Much of what we in the West
associate with Java-- the wayang kulit, the gamelan, dance-- nowadays is
pretty much the playground of the wealthy.  (Not so in Bali, of which we see
more on TV etc-- those things are indeed derived from old Javanese models,
but still have popular/religious relevance to the Balinese)

I have a nice paper, by a Javanese, that may give a more sympathetic view.
No scanner at the mo, but I'll see if I can summarize what he says.