Yes I do. Love the taste, and I make a lot of Indonesian dishes.

I use the fresh roots when I have the time to get them. You have to be careful cutting them though, as the orange color attaches to just about everything and is *very* hard to clean. If that's not available I just use the spice.

I didn't know about the black pepper, but then again I always use that as well (freshly ground).

Many of our dishes contain ginger, garlic, black pepper, apple cider vinegar, and curcumin/turmeric when it fits taste wise.

I have no proof or anything, but I tend to prefer fresh ingredients with no processing. I'm not a "die-hard" in that regards, mind you, but if it's available and I have the time, I go for the root in this case.

PS: you do cut/use it like you use fresh ginger. The roots keep pretty well in the fridge, up to several weeks (again, like ginger)