Sri Owen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sri Owen
Sri Owen at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, 2012
Born	1935 (age 89–90) Padang Panjang, West Sumatra
Occupation	Cookbook writer and culinary teacher
Spouse(s)	Roger Owen (died 2021)

Sri Owen, born on March 31, 1935, is a famous Indonesian cooking teacher and writer. She has lived in London for most of her life. She wrote the first English cookbook focused on Indonesian food. Many people see her as a top expert on Indonesian cuisine.

Sri Owen's Early Life

Sri Owen was born on March 31, 1935, in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra. At that time, this area was called the Dutch East Indies. She grew up in a Minangkabau family. This town was very important to the Minangkabau culture. Sri was the oldest of six sisters.

Her childhood was difficult because of World War II. During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, many Indonesians faced famine and forced labor. Her parents were teachers. The family lived in Jakarta for a short time. In 1949, they settled in Magelang, Central Java. Sri continued her studies in Yogyakarta. She studied English Literature at Gadjah Mada University. After graduating, she taught at the university. She also became the head of its library. In 1961, she met Roger Owen there. He was a British graduate from Oxford University. Roger taught history in Indonesia for three years. Sri and Roger got married in 1962.

A Career in Food Writing

After marrying, Sri moved to London with her husband in 1963. For almost 20 years, she worked for the BBC Far Eastern Service. She was a translator, broadcaster, and producer. In 1984, Sri and Roger moved to Wimbledon Village with their two sons. There, Sri sold Indonesian dishes and snacks from a shop.

First Cookbook and Influences

Her first cookbook was called The Home Book Of Indonesian Cookery. It was published in 1976. This book shared family recipes from her grandmother. Her mother had carefully written these recipes down. Sri Owen has written more than a dozen books. These books are about food from Indonesia and other Asian countries.

A very important person who helped her was Alan Davidson. He wrote The Oxford Companion to Food. Sri later dedicated her 15th book, Sri Owen’s Indonesian Food, to him. He taught her about "foodways." This means all the food habits in a community or culture. Sri believes that rendang, a famous Indonesian dish, is a Minangkabau dish.

Teaching and Demonstrations

Besides writing, Sri Owen has given cooking demonstrations. She has also led workshops and courses around the world. She has appeared on BBC TV with famous chefs. One of these chefs is Raymond Blanc.

Recognition for Her Work

Sri Owen's book, The Rice Book, was chosen as one of the top 50 cookbooks ever. This was by Bee Wilson for the Observer Food Monthly magazine. Her most recent book, Sri Owen’s Indonesian Food, tells her life story. It also celebrates the cooking of Indonesia, her home country.

Melissa Clark from the New York Times mentioned Sri Owen's food knowledge. She compared Sri to other great food writers. These writers introduced new cuisines to English-speaking people. Examples include Elizabeth David (Mediterranean food) and Julia Child (French cooking).

Nikkei Asia has called Sri Owen "the Indonesian food writer." They say she introduced her country's food to the world. She also helped a young chef and writer named Lara Lee. Lara also wants to share Indonesian food with everyone. The San Francisco Chronicle calls her "an obvious authority on Indonesian cooking." Mayukh Sen simply described Sri Owen as "The Woman Who Changed the Way We Think About Indonesian Food."

Awards and Achievements

• Indonesian Food and Cookery won the Langhe Ceretto Prize. It was also a finalist for the 1995 Julia Child award.
• The Rice Book won the Andre Simon Memorial Award in 1993.
• Sri Owen received the Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2017. This award was from the Guild of Food Writers in London.

See also

• Padang cuisine, the food of the Minangkabau people