Hi there! I have to say that your post really struck a cord in me because I too am a new resident of Bali (I just pass my year 1 mark). While my experience has not been as traumatic as yours (but a geko did poop on me the first month I arrived as well as finding a large, dead, cooked fly in my plate of food), I also have to adjust to the new lifestyle. Since we live with the in laws who are awesome by the way, they have helps who cook and take care of the house. I haven't had the experience of buying veg and meats from the local market, but it is significantly cheaper than local supermarkets and import stores. I make a huge effort in finding as much of the ingredients in local places, but sometimes I do need to buy stuff at the import stores, though I despise the ridiculous price these stores charge. Even among import stores, there is a huge price range. My person favorite is Papya in Kuta which carries a huge variety of Japanese goods, and I noticed that, unlike the other import stores, this store does not jack up the price of locally produced goods. As for your concern about food safety, I totally understand because I too had a huge stomach problem once during my first visit to Indo (but I got sick in Jakarta, not Bali). I found that people here aren't as worried about hygiene so I'm trying my best to teach them some seemingly basic stuff, such as don't keep non-local food out on the counter for the entire day. I haven't gotten any major stomach ailment for the entire year I'm here even though I've had street vendor food, warung food, restaurant food, home cooking, etc. I think the reason is the in laws already found fairly reputable street vendors that they trust. I wouldn't try a random street vendor because I fear what else is in the food. I am still pretty paranoid when it comes to me cooking. Because I am not a huge fan of most Indo foods and I miss comfort food, I end up doing quite a bit of cooking. I rewash all the pots and any equiptment that I'll be using right before I cook (but I did this too when I lived in US). I have a thorough check of all the ingredients and wash them again if necessary. I cut out bits that don't look very good. And so on... Our household use filtered well water from our own well for washing things that food will touch, and we drink bottled water. Thank goodness I haven't made anyone sick yet, though once the sister-in-law's Japanese food made me run to the bathroom. I was pretty shocked by how ugly/grubby some of the fruits and vegetables looked when I first got here, but a lot of the fruits and vegetables actually tasted better than what I had in US. I do miss some things like good apples, cherries, lemons, and other produce, but I am enjoying trying out new fruits as well as finding childhood favorites. It's mango season right now so I'm totally gorging on those right now. Venturing to local markets to find produce might be better than going to the supermarkets though the local supermarkets carry surprisingly varied imported goods too. Sorry about the long message, but I just want to share my experience with local food and stuff. If you have more questions, feel free to ask me. I'm also interested in learning about how other expats feel about food and cooking in Indo/Bali.
