Shopping for groceries is a bit of an adventure, since you can't do it all at one store; it takes a day to grocery shop, or as I've found, an hour or so every morning after we drop Sofia off at school. For purely "expat" items, like peanut butter, SPAM (not kidding), fresh milk, we have to go to Heroes (which would be similar to a Co-op here)... but it's very pricey, because it's geared for the expat market. More everyday items can be purchased at other smaller "grocery" stores, or else you have to go hunting... baking ingredients to the bakery shop, fresh bread to a little bakery in a different district... and of course all of the stores are at least 20 minutes apart from one another, so it's a bit of a trek. The other option for everything except the expat items is to go to the market.
I had my first exposure to Pasar Klandasan (Klandasan market) this week, thankfully with a few wonderful women who agreed to show me the ropes! I don't think I've ever had such an assault on my senses, and even though I took a couple of photos, without the smells, it just doesn't seem to really capture the atmosphere of the place. You walk by eggs smelling like the chicken coop on the farm, then by dried and salted fish where I just breathe through my mouth (really, who wants to smell that?), past the vegetables... oops, watch where you're walking so you don't step on that horrible cockroach (though, I must admit, the first one I've seen since we got here... I shouldn't complain!) we stopped and got some veggies, making sure to ask for her better ones (which are always hiding behind the table, I'm learning), as well as asking for her "best price". The other ladies are well versed on how much things should cost and I'm trying to quickly learn as well (also making quick progress on my numbers and food items in Bahasa, it's essential at the market!). The market is the best place to buy your eggs because they are the freshest due to the high turnover and volumes, but you have to "float test" them at home... if they float, throw them out!
We give our bags to the "porter" (for a small fee there are guys that will carry your bags around the market for you so you don't have to... maybe I should get one for Belyn next time? ;) ) Next is over to the fish and meat section, and I realize now why they told me to make sure I wore shoes and not sandals - fish scales, guts, etc on the ground where the cats are loving it but I am NOT (though there is no smell due to the large doors being open, so I was impressed about that). I now know what red snapper looks like whole (I've only ever seen a filet at the store before), and I know that the eyes have to be bright and to open the gills and make sure they look blood red (not gray or pinky) to make sure it's a good fish to buy.
I buy a whole chicken for Sunday night dinner, telling the lady that I don't want the head or feet still on, so please chop them off for me, and get some breasts as well, to freeze for later.
Then I put all of this in my little cooler with ice, and head to the only Starbucks in town, to remind myself that it is 2011 and I can still get a western-made coffee! :)
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