Best Supermarket Food Choices

[oldschoolto]

Just on a side note.. Down the street from Van den Tweel is the Voordeemarket Warehouse... They have much better prices on things like canned goods, soda and beer... And other household things... Right next door is Lucky supermarket... They have cheap prices on soap, shampoo and other stuff.. The other place for good prices is the Chinese store over on Kaya Korona just past the turn for Kaya Tribon...

What can I say... My wife is always looking for the best price... Maybe that's why we can travel and Dive....

Jim...

 

[dberry]

"May"?! The grocery stores like Van den Tweel have a full aisle of Indonesian stuff. Satay Night is a tradition on our Bonaire trips! Fried rice (nasi goreng) made with miscellaneous leftovers from previous meals is inevitable, too. And yes, we get the shrimp crackers (krupuk), which are fun to watch puff up when tossed into the fryer. Since they puff up like crazy, one package yields crackers for days.

I said "may" rather assume anything about a former Dutch colony I haven't visited. But now I know I can gorge on Indonesian, I REALLY want to go there. Hey, I hear there's even some decent diving, too.:blinking:

I still find it cool that a common Indonesian combo meal is called a rijsttafel - which is Dutch for "rice table". Somewhat less amusing is that the size of the feast was once described as being a "one boy meal" or a "two boy meal", etc, depending on how many servants were needed to carry in the food! Ah, the good old days of running a colony!

 

[uncfnp]

Haven't been to Bonaire (yet), but Indonesian food has a strange way of spreading to everywhere the Dutch planted flags (yes, I know the history...) You may find some Indonesian delicacies in the grocery stores, too. If nothing else, try the shrimp toast as a potato-chip-like snack with a faint seafood flavor.

"May"?! The grocery stores like Van den Tweel have a full aisle of Indonesian stuff. Satay Night is a tradition on our Bonaire trips! Fried rice (nasi goreng) made with miscellaneous leftovers from previous meals is inevitable, too. And yes, we get the shrimp crackers (krupuk), which are fun to watch puff up when tossed into the fryer. Since they puff up like crazy, one package yields crackers for days.

Excellent. Something completely new for me.

 

[tursiops]

Re Indonesian food in Bonaire: the several restaurants that have provided Indonesian food seem to have come and gone. It is worth asking at your diveshop where you can get some....the only one I know of right now (I've haven't been on island for a few months) is the little place next to Between Two Buns (which itself is not to be missed), but it is not very good. I'll be back in June....hope somewhere has sprung up!

 

[Doctorfish]

Tursiops, please report back. Have not enjoyed Indonesian food on Bon since the Old Inn and Waring Louise closed.

Bobbe Jans has Gado Gado on the menu, but not authentic IMO.

 

[AdivingBel]

Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread. It's really interesting. Wife and I are headed to Bonaire for the first time this Fall. I've read threads and info on the diving & housing (which are great), but insider grocery store/food selection etc. is priceless (following on BonaireTalk as well). I'll certainly feed the "report mill" when we return. Thanks again. Happy diving.

 

[wwguy]

That reminds me, Heineken and Amstel Bright are Eric's typical go to beers in Bonaire but there was a recent thread that recommended a beer we had not heard of. Anyone know the name or other suggestions?

Probably Polar. Originally brewed in Venezuela, but I think it was moved elsewhere. Subsequent chatter said it wasn't as good.

I drink Bright when on Bon, so couldn't say.

wwguy is up on this. He can shed the light of fact on my speculation...

Finally... a chance to opine on a topic that I actually know a little bit about!

Polar, my favorite on Bonaire, is an old Venezuelan beer brand that's currently the largest and best known brand in Venezuela. It's been available on Bonaire for many years, with the most popular format being 8 oz. "Polarcita" bottles. A couple of years ago 7 oz. Polar bottles began appearing on Bonaire, mostly sold in 6-packs, with labels indicated they were bottled in Florida instead of Venezuela. I tried the new format and determined it was decidedly less delicious that it's Venezuelan counterpart. Since then I've still been able to find the Venezuelan version at a few places on the island. Most beer-friendly locals know what it means to specifically ask for a Polarcita.

Cerveza Zulia is Venezuela's oldest beer brand and has also been available on Bonaire in recent years. It's less expensive than Polar and less tasty also, at least in my opinion. Amstel Brights are great tasting, but not great value if you enjoy beers at sunset as enthusiastically and frequently as I do. (Like in my SB avatar photo!)

Here's a photo comparing the Venezuela and Florida versions of Polar:

 

[boat sju]

ok. Now we'll need a report on Polarcita sightings. Rincon maybe???

 

[wwguy]

ok. Now we'll need a report on Polarcita sightings. Rincon maybe???

During our June trip last year we could only find Polarcita at Top Supermarket (formerly Cultimara.) During our winter holiday trip a couple of months ago we also found it at Warehouse Bonaire. Shopping for food and beverage on Bonaire is akin to a scavenger hunt.

If it's packaged like this in the store you're probably good to go.

 

[gbf]

funny how a thread about food and groceries devolves into a discussion of beer preferences...