What is this thing? A friend bought it for me on his recent trip to Indonesia. Dome shaped on top, has 5 holes, and sealed bottom.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE ANSWERS:
Pretty sure it is a vase with multiple holes for arranging flowers.
Looks like an incense holder
My mum had one of these. A multi stem vase.
Flower frog?
I thought it was a toothbrush holder
Pot Pourri Vase
I thought incense holder but the holes would be smaller. I’m saying multi stem vase.
maybe it holds incense or flowers.
I thought incense holder but the holes would be smaller. I’m saying multi stem vase.
Pen/pencil holder? On second thought, do we still use them?
I asked my wife who is Indonesian and she guesses it is for incense or candles. Having lived here for 8 years you see a lot of random stuff like this but I never thought to ask.
Definitely not a vape as someone else said.
Incense holder. You light an incense stick and put it in the hole so it doesn’t fall over and light something on fire.
Not a vase. Look at the low side holes. A flower frog doesn’t have holes around the sides because the water would easily tip out and the stems on the sides would fall out. All the photos people are posting of actual flower frogs Don’t have holes on the sides of a small vessel. Incense holders have much smaller holes to concentrate then slowly dissipate the smoke. Otherwise they’d be pointless. I’m going with potpourri pot. But I say just ask your friend. Sounds like they’re embarrassed to ask. Or did they say the friend didn’t know?
It holds toothbrushes, handle down. These were common in the 70s and early 80s
It sounds like you might be describing a traditional Indonesian spice grinder, known as a “ulekan” or “cobek.” These are typically made of stone or wood and are used to grind spices, herbs, or other ingredients for cooking. The dome-shaped top is where you would place the spices, and the holes allow for ventilation while grinding. The sealed bottom provides stability during the grinding process. They’re a beautiful and functional kitchen tool commonly found in Indonesian households.
Cobek is the Indonesian term for the mortar and pestle set used in Indonesian cuisine. The cobek refers to both the mortar (the bowl-like container) and the pestle (the tool used for grinding). The mortar, or cobek, is typically made of stone, wood, or other materials and is used for grinding and mixing ingredients like spices, herbs, and pastes. The pestle, called “ulekan” in Indonesian, is used to crush and grind the ingredients against the surface of the cobek. Together, they form a traditional kitchen tool essential for preparing various Indonesian dishes.
