Going Grocery Shopping

So you want to go grocery shopping with me? Shopping is a bit different here, although probably not as different as some might expect :) So what's on your shopping list today? Many things we can get locally because although I live in a village, it is on the main road between two bigger towns and has the hospital with many employees living in the area.

Need fruit? We got several choices but probably different choices than you are use to. You can almost always find bananas in all shapes and varieties - so far have counted 16 different types. We even have ones that you are suppose to eat while they are still look green and yet are ripe. Pineapples are also frequently for sale (and we have several plants near our houses too). Oh and oranges are actually green here and have seeds, so watch out. In our village area though you can't find apples, pears, cherries, peaches, berries or grapes etc although we can buy apples in Singkawang (more on that in a minute).  There are days I really miss some of those fruits especially being from the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Locally we also have a small canteen that sells ready-to-eat food. No McDonalds here though! For a little less than $2.00 though you can get a nasi bungkus (rice package to go) with some meat (or other proten source depending on how much you pay), vegetable, and rice. Oh and don't forget the hot sauce! You can also get fried rice and noodles here. Most of my students eat here on a daily basis. Our patient's families also buy food for themselves and the patients here.

Don't have time for a trip to the market in town. You can order many things from your motor sayur (vegetable motorcyle - although they deliver more than vegetables). These drivers head into town in the middle of the night and load up their bikes at the market and then have different areas and times when they deliver to different villages farther out. Some go to the morning market and then deliver in the late afternoon. They usually have the basic favorites like green beans, a several green vegetables, peppers, sometimes fish. Your best bet is to develop a relationship with one who you can order food from and know what time he arrives in your area. Course delivery is still hit and miss based on what he can find at the market that day.

Last shopping option near us are several smalls stores down front. Their selection has really improved in recent years, especially one Chinese family who seems to have a pretty good supply chain including things imported from Malaysia. You can buy lots of things including rice, flour, eggs, soap, noodles, umbrellas, buckets, water, liquid propane gas, sandals, towels, and the list just goes on and on. That said things are more expensive than going to town usually. I try to buy the majority of my big shopping in town but then supplement with things from here as needed both to support them and for the convenience. Most of this local shopping is done by my helper. She cooks me an Indonesian lunch daily with usually rice, some meat, eggs, or tempe, and a vegatable. Today for examples that was chicken in red sauce that she calls ketchup with some green beans.

Once a month or so though I head to the town of Singkawang, which is only about 45 km away but takes a little over an hour to get to thanks to the curves and potholes. I don't drive here (yet) so have a car and driver that takes me and I usually make a day of it, eating lunch in town and enjoying the break. Singakwang is considered a town by Indonesian standards but it has almost 200,000 people living in it. About 3 years ago they even got their own mall with a supermarket that has many things that before we would have to travel to the city 5 hours away to get. So I can now get fresh butter, milk, cheese, (although both are expensive so I don't get them very frequently or in limited quantities) and many other things. It even has a bakery that sells hot dog and hamburger buns. Things it doesn't have though include any frozen microwave meals, a good cereal selection, the normal snacks and treats you would have in America. Here are a few pictures of shopping in Singkawang...

These use to be the only supermarket type stores in town before the mall opened and selection was much more limited. They have no refridgerated section, so powdered milk and canned butter were our only options for example. They also do not have any sort of carts and so instead you fill baskets you carry in very narrow aisles stacked with stock. I make quite the spectacle as I only go shopping here about once a month and buy a lot more than the average Indonesian family as most Indonesians only buy enough supplies for a couple of days or at the most a week.

Singakwang is located on the coast of our island, so there is good supply of many types of seafood. I usually try to go to this market and bring a cooler with me to stock up on vegetables and fish. After my monthly shopping trip there is little room in my freezer :) 

And then about three years ago after long months of waiting for construction to finish, the mall finally opened. In Indonesia it is popular for a nice hotel to be attached to the mall and that is still under construction but some rooms opened early this year. At first I thought that was a strange idea but now I like the idea. Most places in Indonesia like to have a soft opening first where just a few basic services or stores are available. For this mall some of the first stores opened were the supermarket and the department store. For awhile there those were the only stores open though and there was fears the mall would fail. Then though the movie theater, KFC and a donut store opened and things started to look more hopeful. Now there is quite a good selection from a bakery to kids stores, to cell phones. Just this month several new stores opened. This place can be completely packed when they have one of their special events (like a basketball court in the center having a tournament) but I like to go on a weekday early enough in the day that kids aren't out of school yet. It is a lovely break in the AC, with some yummy food and there aren't long lines at the supermarket. 

Hypermart is the name of the supermarket and while its stock can vary a lot and they can be months where there is very little in stock, it is a refreshing change to shop here. I am actually really impressed that they can keep things like fresh butter and cheese in stock although in rather limited choices. At the most we have two different brands of butter and usually only one. Cheese here is $50 a pound. Yikes! Hence the need to put myself on a food budget once Hypermart opened :) They also have baskets and wide enough aisles to get through, although they do like to stock in the middle of the day, so sometimes if they have just gotten a shipment, it can be tricky. I definitey make quite a spectacle here and frequently despite other cashiers being open everyone will line up behind me to see what all is on my cart and commenting on it. Most days I can take it in stride but there some days I have to admit the getting stared at and all the comments can be quite frustrating. By the way even at the big Hypermart in the city 5 hours away they still don't have belts of any sort leading up to the cashier so you have load and then push forward all your purchases. 

The final stop on our way home is usually the fruit stand. The family that owns the one I like to shop at use to have a regular motor sayur route out in Serukam and we developed a good relationship with. He then stopped coming to Serukam but opened this fruit stand. It usually has a good selection, including Chinese grown apples, watermelons, papayas, and lots of other fruit in seasons. I have now developed a relationship with this man's daughter and we always enjoy catching up briefly when I stop for fruit. They frequently give me some extra oranges or a discount and it is just nice to shop where you are known and they know what I like. 

And to end up on a funny note, this was the cereal aisle at Hypermart in the not so distant past. How does the variety compare with the US? All that to say I am looking forward to my Home Assignment in a few short months and enjoying some of those things you can only get at home in the Pacific Northwest!