Why don’t Indonesians walk around nude? It’s always warm and often hot. Who needs clothes?
Why do Indonesians love Durian? The country is abundant with delicious food, the country’s cuisine is varied and superb, so what’s the fascination with fruit that is way too creamy, too fat and disgustingly stinky?
Why Indonesian football is shambles? Football is extraordinary popular in the archipelago and FC Barcelona’s Tito Vilanova and his eleven dwarves prove size doesn’t matter.
Why Indonesians on average are extremely talented photographers? Traditional national art forms – dance, martial arts, batik, gamelan – don’t indicate any plausible explanation for this general arty addiction.
Why are Indonesians world-champions smoking? The habit is not just killing foreigners, but causes cancer and heart attacks in all human beings.
Why Indonesians have their hearts on the sleeve on Facebook? In all other realms of life they are pretty prudent and hide their private experiences and emotions.
Why do Indonesians more often than not neglect maintenance – of buildings, of roads and of ships and other vehicles? Everybody knows the tropical climate demands permanent monitoring, screening and timely repairs of these huge investments.
Why Indonesians who are fortunate enough to spend a twelve days’ holiday in Europe, always try to squeeze a visit to all twenty seven EU countries into those two weeks? Getting to know the beauty of Paris or Rome takes more than one or two days.
Why Indonesians present themselves by their nationality abroad and stress their different ethnic backgrounds to introduce themselves to foreigners at home? After all there has been a lot of effort to install “Indonesianess” in formal education ever since Independence.
Why do Indonesians who are being photographed most of the time smile (too) much and strike weird poses? They are worthwhile and even at their best to look at and to admire if they act in a non-theatrical, casual and relaxed way.
Why don’t Indonesians have significantly better politicians? Among 240 million people to choose from there definitely are much better options.
Why Indonesian women are the most charming, beautiful and intelligent of the world?*
* Next to Swedish, Argentinian, Ethiopian women and my daughter 
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1.perhaps all the insects would’ve bitten you naked
2.because you could also get drunk from it
3.we spend too much time fighting each other instead of running after the ball
4.we just faking it as photographers
5.it’s cheap a indulgence for some
6.because they thought in internet you can be anyone
7.no maintenance means more budgets for new projects
8.we only need to say we’ve been to X amount of countries, transits included.
9.abroad most people doesnt even know where Indonesia is. You are in Indonesia, the second step is: learn that there are plenty of ethnicities in Indonesia.
10.stage fright?
11.only those with money could afford to run for office.
12.because we are worth it *
*how come you didnt include your missus?
@ triesti: Thanks for the comprehensive reaction
. With each part of it I can agree – to some extent. Of course I’m disappointed with the explanation of number 1. At every future arrival at Soekarno-Hatta I have to live with the facts: “abandon all hope, ye who enter” 
.
As for having left out the missus I can point to the several times I’ve praised her qualities and declared my lasting love on this blog. Therefore I thought it was about time to do honour to my daughter
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Hi Colson,
A very interesting questions about Indonesia and Indonesians.
I agree with Triesti’s answers to those questions.
Colson, I haven’t dated my blog for some time.
Can I copy paste your above article on blog?
Of course I will mention your name and link.
Thanks
@ Harry: Please, do. With or without name. I feel honoured
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I cant believe how people can eat durian, that fruit is just too goddamn awful…
@ calvin: You’re the first Indonesian I know who agrees with me. Knowing Jakarta is the Big Durian I assume you stay in a living hell
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I’d agree with all but one. We do say we’re from Indonesia when we’re abroad and don’t say the specific area where we grow up because, face it, many people are rubbish on geography. It’s a miracle enough if they know where Indonesia is located, double miracle if they know the name of the islands.
However, talking to fellow Indonesians, we can say it specifically where we’re from. And other nationalities do this too. My DH’s 98 years old grandma, when telling us about one person, always mentiones where s/he “belongs to” (the hometown), and she would mention areas near Aberdeen which you wouldn’t find on the google map and expect me to know where it is.
I never notice that we say which area we come from to foreigners at home, but doesn’t it make sense? We can’t say we’re from Indonesia since we are IN Indonesia, so we would tell the foreigners where our hometown is.
Hello, by the way, it’s been a very long time!
@ Finally Woken: It’s been a long time indeed. Good to welcome you back! Moreover you’re obviously sharp as ever
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Still.. Probably you’re right ( and expert by experience
) about Indonesians abroad. On top of that I might add I guess that – with the exception of Flemish and Wallonian Belgians, Basks and Catalan Spaniards – Europeans also appear to stick to the same habit you described for Indonesians.
Yet I’m puzzled when, being in Indonesia the obvious foreigner, Indonesians introduce themselves to me by their Sundanese, Batak or whatever tribal or regional descent rather than their profession.