A Trip to the Store

who you lookin' at?

Can you take another post about food? I seem to stay on that topic a lot, but it's a challenge that we have to deal with every day. Actually, much more so than in the states because at home it's easy to buy food, cook food, eat food, pick up fast food or order take out. However we choose to do it, we manage to pretty much just eat the foods we enjoy.

Indonesians eat this sauce like Americans eat catsup

Here it's just that everything is so different. Not surprising, we are after all in a foreign country. And we are as much out of our "comfort zone" here as Indonesians would be if they came to our country. It probably seems strange to our driver when I ask him to stop and let me take a photo of a broom or a piece of fruit. It's just that some of the things we see are very different from what we are used to.



So while none of this is especially exciting or newsworthy, hopefully it offers a little "glimpse" into one way Indonesians buy their food. Here's an example. At home we typically choose between white eggs and brown eggs. Here eggs come in a variety of colors and sizes. We're used to chickens laying the eggs we eat. Ducks lay the green eggs and I have no idea what kind of fowl lay the smaller ones. In most stores, the eggs are laid in an open bin next to a scale and customers select and weigh out their own eggs. In the nicer markets, they may be packaged and cleaned like those below. Sometimes there are unusual "somethings" in our eggs that probably wouldn't hurt us; however we are careful to fish them out.

green, speckled, brown or white - take your pick!

much of the fresh meat is kept in the open

every store or market has a vast supply of frying oil

I'm sorry, but Asian grocery stores just have a funky smell. It may be the durians permeating everything in the store. Or it could be the fish that are exposed to the open air. Or it could be the dairy section, or the produce section. It's just a smell you have to tolerate or else you don't shop. Like stores in the US, supermarkets strategically place their candy near the check outs, but most of it is (surprise) unfamiliar. Fisherman's Friend cough drops are big here and they come in a variety of flavors, usually being displayed right along with the candy. Since at least half the population smokes, perhaps that has something to do with it? Indonesians have their popular brands of candy here just like we do in the US. Silver Queen seems to be a favorite chocolate bar, probably being equivalent to Hersheys in the states. Brands of tea, coffee and canned goods where locals shop are not any an American would recognize. Baby formula and cigarettes are kept in a special location (like cigarettes are in the states).

fresh eels in the meat market (yes, they are swimming)

noodle aisle in this small market

Many Indonesians buy their produce on the streets but other supplies in a nice market like the one above. Setiabudhi where we shop is kept very clean, with one person mopping the floor while another person fans to help it dry more quickly. As in every store here, there are more workers than necessary, with a minimum of one person stationed on each section of the aisle. It can be quite annoying, as every more you make is being scrutinized. Foreigners just have to get used to being stared at, no matter where they are or what they're doing.