Grocery store questions

[SandyUT]

HI all,

we will soon be on Bonaire for our second visit. Our first trip was over Easter weekend and the grocery was insane due to a 3 day closure and we had new gear and bla bla bla - needless to say I cant for the life of me remember details about the grocery other than they were out of everything and line were insane.

We have a basic menu of simple meals but could use some info. We stay south of town and hit the warehouse looking grocery/gas station place. I assume its still there?

Questions:

1. Are the food and alcohol prices; higher than the states? kinda steep? or ridiculous and we should be everything that we can fit in our bags?
2. will the grocery have basics (salsa, tortillas, canned tuna, etc.) and fresh fruits and veggies?
3. Is the meat safe or a little scary?

Any info would be helpful! Many thanks!!!

---------- Post added August 25th, 2013 at 11:40 AM ----------

I just found some info on the Van den Tweel. That looks down right nice! Do they have beer and wine?

 

[morecowbells]

I had read a lot of stories about the sticker shock of groceries in Bonaire. I personally didn't find it much different(with the exception of fruit) than I currently pay for groceries. Van den Tweel has a good selection of most items. Vodka and beer were a little more costly than in the states, wine was definitely higher, but not cost prohibitive. Not sure about the quality of salsa on the island, I prefer to make my own(contingent on availability of cilantro). The potato chip isle is amazing. So many flavors that I cannot find in the states. Meats were perfectly safe, although it can be confusing. Most of the signage is in Dutch so trying to figure out exactly what 'Beiterballen' is can be challenging. I have the google translator app on my phone which helps a lot when shopping for cheeses and meats. I made the horrific mistake of purchasing decaf versus regular coffee. Talk about headaches!

 

[uncfnp]

Have not heard of the google app, will have to check it out. I agree that the labeling on meats and cheeses are the hardest to figure out.

Van den Tweel is amazing but some of the small local markets can also carry a good choice of breads, fruits and veggies, but a little more hit or miss. Like morecowbells, I did not find the average price significantly higher than here.

As for what foods I pack, very little. I do fix some snack bags sizes of my favorite spices and herbs. Thats about it. If you have a particular food item that you just can't live without, then I would take it if there is room. There are lots of foods available but it might not be exactly the same as what you are use to...

 

[Tunaman68]

Van den Tweel is AWESOME! We loved shopping there and aside from having to guess what some items are ie...spread is not margarine it's thick gooey cheese that sucks on toast and corn, but shows a knife spreading what looks like butter on a piece of toast so.....Selection was great, store is clean and always well stocked. You'll have to buy grocery bags the first time as they do not offer paper or plastic. We got used to moving the groceries into our room then taking the bags back to the truck. We opted to shop every other day for fresh items instead of trying to plan the week in advance. It was a nice way to spend an SI!! Yes they sell a good selection of booze too!

We ate the meat several times - the prepared you cook yourself meat items were all VERY good. They have a pepper steak with garlic butter that you can throw on the grill that was DELICIOUS for $6 for two nice pieces, chicken was good, and all the sliced lunch meat and cheeses were of VERY high quality and not crazy expensive. They bake fresh bread almost constantly and a loaf of warm soft baguette with crispy crust is quite a nice treat in the truck on the way home from a dive day.

Women should wear a cover up as the locals are a bit conservative and not happy with bikini tops in the store (we saw this first hand).

Chips, crackers, dairy, cookies, and chocolate were all in plentiful supply and our favorite item was a chocolate dipped 'cake stick' which tasted like a chocolate covered Twinkie with just a hint of amaretto. YUM!!

We didn't bother to shop anywhere else.

 

[SandyUT]

this is perfect!!! thanks so much. I remember the dutch issue well. we shopped by picture mostly. we thought we would eat out for dinner on our first trip, but found the costs were high and the food was not that great. this time we are cookin it all at the apartment we rented. Might be a pie a pasa bon pizza and some good BBQ and bobijans for good measure.

We are stoked to get down there !

 

[KeithG]

There are a bunch of large grocery stores as well as many small markets Info Bonaire - Markets for groceries, fresh foods, bread, pastries, and more

The prices are okay so no need to bring your own. Bonaire is a modern thriving country with many tourists to feed.

---------- Post added August 25th, 2013 at 02:52 PM ----------

There are a bunch of large grocery stores as well as many small markets Info Bonaire - Markets for groceries, fresh foods, bread, pastries, and more

The prices are okay so no need to bring your own. Bonaire is a modern thriving country with many tourists to feed.

P.s. there are also some top notch restaurants on the island.

 

[uncfnp]

There is one serious deficit in Bonaire's provisions. No Diet Mt Dew. I go through withdrawals every year...

 

[Doctorfish]

There is also a little stand right in the harbor where there are Venezuelan fruits and vegetables for sale on week days. Fresh off the banana boat. The fisherman will sell fresh fish in that area as well.

 

[flots am]

There is one serious deficit in Bonaire's provisions. No Diet Mt Dew. I go through withdrawals every year...

And I couldn't find any Cap'n Crunch. How can they call themselves "civilized"?

flots

---------- Post added August 31st, 2013 at 09:16 PM ----------

And I couldn't find any Cap'n Crunch. How can they call themselves "civilized"?

Has anybody had the weird milk they sell in a box, that doesn't need refrigeration?

It seems a little creepy. Does it taste like milk?

flots

 

[wwguy]

Has anybody had the weird milk they sell in a box, that doesn't need refrigeration?

It seems a little creepy. Does it taste like milk?

It's real milk and I think it tastes great. I can't help but chuckle every time I hear or see my fellow North Americans comment that aseptically packaged shelf-stable milk isn't "real milk". It's somewhat amusing to watch Americans in the Bonaire grocery stores lining up to pay more for refrigerated pasteurized milk that's already begun the slow process of spoiling in the carton.

The information below is copied from a Borden shelf-stable milk FAQ. I was a manufacturing automation engineer for 10 years for a giant global food products company that processes and sells shelf-stable milk worldwide. The information below is true. I wish it was more readily available here in the USA.

Shelf Stable milk is premium grade 'A' fluid milk. It requires no refrigeration until the package is opened.

Ordinary milk is heated to 161 degrees during pasteurization and packaged in a carton or plastic container. After cooling, bacteria begins to take a toll on the milk and refrigeration is immediately required to slow spoilage.

Shelf Stable Milk (also known as U.H.T. milk) uses a different process. The milk is heated to 282 degrees (thus the term Ultra High Temperature or U.H.T.) during pasteurization eliminating all bacteria in the process. Using Aseptic Technology* the milk is packaged in a special container that seals out light and air.

The taste is the same.
The texture is the same.
The color is the same.
The nutritional values are the same.

Only the process is different.

Because of the U.H.T. process and aseptic packaging, shelf stable milk remains fresh for months, not days. Once the container is opened it reacts like regular milk and must be refrigerated.