One of the BEST things about living in Jakarta (if not the best!) are the wonderful FRESH FRUITS! They not only have such a big variety of fruits (I was overwhelmed the very first time I saw the fruits section of Grand Lucky Supermarket) but it’s cheap too! So we get to eat them regularly and have fresh fruit juice daily too!! Isn’t that just awesome?!?
Strawberries and Orange with some sea salt for breakfast!
Wanna thank my landlady for the oranges she gave us for Chinese New Year. It's very big here in Jakarta because of the many Chinese Indonesians.
In Manila we usually buy TIPCO Juice which is 100% natural and not from concentrate. It is expensive but at least it’s real fresh fruit juice without sugar added. (Totally worth it! My favorite is the – get this – Broccoli flavor! So yummy!) The cheaper ones in tetrapacks, powder form etc. are mostly made with artificial flavors & colorings and lotsa sugar. Even the expensive ones like the pasteurized juices are not as freshly juiced as we think they are – they are actually dehydrated then rehydrated and repacked. But fruits are quite expensive in Manila (those mangoes!).
Here in Jakarta however it is actually cheaper for us to buy fruits and juice them than to buy the packed ones. It is also interesting to note that fresh mushrooms are cheaper than the canned ones here. Huwaaaat?? Crazy right? But fresh is cheaper in Jakarta!
☹ Bad news: they don’t have the sweet mangoes that we have in the Philippines here! It’s my absolute favorite fruit! The ones they have here is like the kind we call Indian Mangoes in the Philippines. Not very sweet. We even refrain from ordering mango desserts and drinks because for us it tastes weird. How I miss mangoes!!
This is our usual shopping list when we do our grocery:
- 1/2 Watermelon
- 12 Apples – also for baked desserts
- 2 Guyabano – our current favorite fruit juice
- 1 Pineapple
- 2 bunches of bananas – I make classic/dark chocolate/nutella banana bread
- 1 Melon
- 1 pack Strawberries – eaten fresh or with cream
- 12 Mandarin Oranges – TD feels that they are sweeter than regular sized ones
I don’t use a juicer because I don’t want to take away all that healthy fiber. We just blend the fruit with some water and if needed add a little Tropicana Slim low-calorie sweetener.
I LOVE fruits here, too! So far my favorite fruits you can find in Indonesia is that huge green orange looking fruit and once you remove the skin inside looks like grapefruit. Do you know which one I’m talking about? I can’t remember the name. The season is over and I’m so bummed! I cannot wait for the next season. I am trying to be better about having fruits at home and take advantage of living here. Thanks for the post!!
Oh Yeah lovely and Healthy Fruits. Great idea for Fruits . i loved Fruits . My Favorited Fruits Grapes, Mango and Orange . thanks for nice sharing