Es Lengkeng Merdeka! (Simply..Longan Drink)

This is my entry for Red and White Foodie Photography Contest, a collaboration of three foodie bloggers, Dhi-Fitri-Dwi. After a little while and lot of hesitation and procrastination, eventually I've finished writing this post.

In the spirit of August-month of our Independence day, red and white which represent the color of our national flag is used as a source of our creativity in food photography. As I am a beginner in food photography, I do not expect much, I just want to have fun by joining this event and make the event merrier! Here is the picture I've submitted.

The story goes behind the picture...
I have been living overseas for a better of 5 years. Even though I live far away from my beloved country-Indonesia, I feel attached to Indonesia. There are some reasons why I feel so attached to Indonesia..
- I am married to an Indonesian guy, so our every day life is full of Indonesian cultures..we try to maintain the good ones, eliminate the bad ones and compile it with good Western cultures too.
- My husband prefers Indonesian foods than Western ones, so mostly I prepare Indonesian foods and keep Indonesian spices in my kitchen.
- I speak to my 16mo old girl in bahasa Indonesia...so bahasa is our first language at home.
- Sweet soy sauce is my husband's forever favorite condiment...and it should be made by Indonesian company, he loves one particular brand.
- We have some Indonesian friends that gather every Sunday afternoon for Bible studying and prayer meeting, and we do speak Indonesian during the sessions. Oh yeah and the best part is we share Indonesian food after the meeting...

Even though I feel so attached to my country, it does not mean that I do not miss Indonesia. Indeed, I do miss Indonesia terribly much. I miss my extended family whom mostly still reside in Indonesia, I miss the real Indonesian foods sold on street-so I do not need to spend time cooking, I miss shopping good things at a bargain price, I miss "becak" a tricycle public transportation-so I do not need to walk to get to short-medium distance, and a lot more..my list would go longer than you expected. Well, life goes on...I love my country but the fate brought me to live far away from it...

Thus, to celebrate the Independence day, I want to take a part of this special event...even though it is small, I believe I may contribute this way..

Inspired by red and white, I made this simple longan drink. It is very easy to make and suitable to our current weather. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
-1 can of longan fruits in syrup
-5Tbsp of cocopandan flavor syrup (made in Indonesia)
-4glasses of cold water
-ice cubes

Directions:
In a big bowl, mix all of the ingredients and stir it well. Keep it in the fridge to make it cooler. To serve, place it in clear glasses. The recipe is good to make 5glasses of the drink.

Happy Independence Day Indonesia....! We do love you...