Kokkie

Wieteke Van Dort's song "Kokkie" tells the poignant story of an elderly cook who has spent her entire life in the kitchen, dedicated to preparing traditional Indonesian dishes. The song begins by painting a picture of Kokkie in her prime, skillfully cooking dishes like sajoer, rice, and sambal, with a sirihpruimpje (betel nut) in her mouth. Her culinary skills were once highly appreciated by her employers, referred to as 'toean' and 'njonja,' who enjoyed the meals she prepared.

As time passes, Kokkie begins to age, and her once-exceptional cooking skills start to deteriorate. The lyrics describe how her soups and sajoer become watery, her potatoes turn to crumbs, and she even mistakenly includes her betel nut in a frikandel (a type of meatball). The song humorously yet sadly details the various mishaps in her cooking, such as finding hairs in the sauce, a cockroach in the rice, and even a lizard's tail in the sajoer. These incidents highlight the inevitable decline that comes with aging and the loss of one's abilities.

The song takes a darker turn as Kokkie's mistakes become too much for her employers to handle. They find ten roasted cockroaches in their nasi-goreng and even Kokkie's last hollow tooth in the sauce. Eventually, Kokkie is let go from her job, as she is no longer capable of performing her duties. The song concludes with a somber note, describing Kokkie's lonely death in the kampong (village) and her burial in the koeboeran (cemetery). The story of Kokkie serves as a reflection on the passage of time, the inevitability of aging, and the often-overlooked contributions of those who work behind the scenes.