First up was the gado gado, a salad of boiled vegetables slathered in a peanut sauce.

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Now I like boiled potatoes, boiled ham, boiled vegetables even.

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And then his wife proudly produced the food - boiled potatoes, boiled green vegetables and ham, boiled ham.

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As a child, my friend interpreted this behavior as strange and eccentric only to read years later that all of the nutrients from the vegetables had been boiled out and were actually in the water!

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The men, filthy from scavenging for belongings in the ruins, sit for a smoke and a chat, while the women prepare miso soup with vegetables, hard-boiled eggs and seaweed for dinner.

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