Indonesian food with a colonial twist: how the feast of rijsttafel, or rice table, became a social tool and status symbol Silvia Marchetti life@scmp.com A rijsttafel prepared by Dutch-Indonesian chef Jeff Keasberry. The feast became a social phenomenon and much-enjoyed ritual in the Dutch colonial world after it was adapted from traditional Indonesian communal gatherings. Photo: Courtesy of Jeff Keasberry An overloaded table in a restaurant in the Dutch capital Amsterdam is covered with plates of succulent Indonesian food: gado-gado (a cooked vegetable salad in peanut sauce), rice, pickled vegetables, satay skewers of fish and chicken, prawn crackers, spicy beef rendang, curries, and of course, the ever-present sambal, or chilli sauce.