Off-the-shelf food

It is a routine that I go grocery shopping twice a week, usually on Monday and Thursday. So happen today, Dear Hubby's chauffeur went on emergency leave because his son is having high fever. Being in Jakarta for 4 months now, I've never stepped out of the condo without Pak Sopir (sopir means chauffeur in Indonesian language). Although catching a cab in Jakarta is quite convenient, it'll never be as convenient as having a chauffeur who helps load the grocery bags into the car and then bringing them up to the condo for me. A little help goes a long way when you are having a bulging tummy that you can't even see your toes. Moreover, most shopping malls in Jakarta do not have shopping carts access lane for the carts to be brought up to the foyer or lobby so I usually tell Pak Sopir to wait for me at the basement carpark entrance.

Stranded in the condo without Pak Sopir's help, I decided to go online and order McDonald for lunch and then take a lift down to the mini mart to buy some bread for tomorrow's breakfast. I came back, cut open the nicely sealed plastic bag from the loaf of white bread to make myself a peanut butter sandwich (I have cravings for peanut butter since I'm pregnant) when I saw it: greenish and black bread molds growing on the first slice of bread! I double checked on the expiry date again and it says 14/04/10... which is the day after tomorrow. In Jakarta, especially when you buy things from a local or neighbourhood mini mart, don't bother to ask for a refund. They'll just look at you with a silly expression on their face.

Morale of the story: When you buy off-the-shelf food (although it's perfectly sealed) in Jakarta, look twice before you put it in your mouth. This explains a lot why fresh bakery shops are blooming like mushrooms here and they're always jam packed with people at any time of the day!