Noodle Party: Kejahatan Terorganisir yang Bernama Mie Instan
Bagi peserta SSEAYP 1989, ada satu kegiatan yang sebenarnya tidak pernah tercantum dalam jadwal resmi program, tetapi tingkat kehadirannya selalu lebih tinggi daripada acara resmi.
Namanya adalah Noodle Party.
Atau dalam bahasa sederhana: pesta makan mie sampai lupa waktu.
Selama berada di kapal, hampir setiap malam selalu ada seseorang yang diam-diam mengeluarkan persediaan mie dari koper.
Anehnya, stok mie para peserta Indonesia tidak pernah habis.
Padahal setiap hari dimakan.
Bahkan sampai sekarang masih menjadi misteri SSEAYP yang belum terpecahkan.
Ada yang menduga koper peserta Indonesia sebenarnya memiliki dimensi tambahan khusus untuk menyimpan mie.
Suatu malam seorang peserta asing bertanya,
“Kalian ini lapar terus ya?”
Bukan.
Kami hanya sedang menjaga tradisi bangsa.
Yang lebih aneh lagi, tidak pernah ada undangan resmi.
Tidak ada grup WhatsApp.
Tidak ada email.
Tidak ada pengumuman.
Namun begitu seseorang mulai membuka tutup mie, dalam hitungan menit peserta lain bermunculan dari berbagai arah.
Seolah-olah mereka memiliki radar mie bawaan.
“Siapa yang kasih tahu?”
“Tidak ada.”
“Lalu kenapa bisa datang?”
“Saya mencium aroma persahabatan.”
Padahal yang dicium sebenarnya aroma bawang goreng.
Puncaknya terjadi ketika pesta mie dilakukan di dek kapal pada malam hari.
Angin laut bertiup kencang.
Ombak bergoyang.
Kapal bergerak.
Mie ikut bergoyang.
Peserta juga ikut bergoyang.
Tetapi tidak ada yang menyerah.
Karena dalam budaya SSEAYP Indonesia, menjatuhkan mie dianggap lebih menyedihkan daripada kehilangan sandal.
Tahun demi tahun berlalu.
Peserta menikah.
Punya anak.
Punya cucu.
Ada yang jadi direktur.
Ada yang jadi pengusaha.
Ada yang jadi pejabat.
Tetapi ada satu hal yang tidak berubah.
Ketika reuni berlangsung, yang dicari pertama kali bukan daftar acara.
Melainkan lokasi Noodle Party.
Maka lahirlah menara mie seperti yang terlihat dalam foto ini.
Seorang alumni melihat tumpukan itu lalu berkata,
“Ini menara apa?”
“Menara Persahabatan.”
“Kenapa dari mie?”
“Karena persahabatan kami dibangun dari karbohidrat.”
Semua tertawa.
Lalu seorang alumni lain menghitung jumlah mie yang ditumpuk.
Setelah selesai ia berkata,
“Kalau semua ini dimakan malam ini, besok kita reuni lagi di rumah sakit.”
Tawa semakin pecah.
Malam itu semua sepakat bahwa ada tiga hal yang tidak pernah berubah sejak SSEAYP 1989: persahabatan yang tulus, kenangan yang selalu hidup, dan keyakinan bahwa tidak ada masalah yang terlalu berat selama masih ada air panas dan mie instan.
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Noodle Party: An Organized Crime Called Instant Noodles
For the SSEAYP 1989 participants, there was one activity that never appeared on the official schedule, yet somehow attracted more attendees than any official event.
It was called the Noodle Party.
Or, in simple terms: eating instant noodles until nobody remembers what time it is.
During the voyage, almost every night someone would secretly pull out a hidden noodle supply from their luggage.
Strangely, the Indonesian participants never seemed to run out of noodles.
Even though they ate them constantly.
To this day, it remains one of SSEAYP’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
Some believe Indonesian luggage comes with a secret compartment designed exclusively for instant noodles.
One evening, a foreign participant asked,
“Are you Indonesians always hungry?”
“No.”
“We are simply preserving our cultural heritage.”
The funniest part was that there was never an official invitation.
No WhatsApp group.
No email.
No announcement.
Yet the moment someone opened a noodle cup, people would magically appear from every direction.
As if they possessed a built-in noodle detection system.
“Who informed you?”
“Nobody.”
“Then how did you know?”
“I followed the scent of friendship.”
In reality, it was probably fried onion seasoning.
The peak experience came when the Noodle Party took place on the ship’s open deck.
The wind was strong.
The waves were rough.
The ship was moving.
The noodles were moving.
The participants were moving.
But nobody gave up.
Because among SSEAYP Indonesians, spilling noodles was considered more tragic than losing a sandal.
Years passed.
Participants got married.
Had children.
Some became executives.
Some became entrepreneurs.
Some became government officials.
Yet one thing never changed.
Whenever there was a reunion, nobody asked about the program agenda first.
They asked where the Noodle Party would be.
That is how towers of instant noodles like the one in this photo came into existence.
One alumnus looked at the tower and asked,
“What kind of tower is this?”
“The Tower of Friendship.”
“Why is it made of noodles?”
“Because our friendship was built on carbohydrates.”
Everyone laughed.
Then another alumnus counted the noodle cups and announced,
“If we finish all of these tonight, tomorrow’s reunion will continue at the hospital.”
The laughter became even louder.
That evening everyone agreed that three things have never changed since SSEAYP 1989: sincere friendship, unforgettable memories, and the belief that no problem is too difficult as long as there is hot water and instant noodles nearby.
