Jakarta steps in as traditional markets struggle to survive
They are competing for customers with a rapidly growing pool of minimarts
Add BT as a preferred sourceJakarta
IN the gloom and stale air enveloping the butcher stalls at the Palmerah market in Central Jakarta, Adi Elemin waits for the evening rush of customers. Five cows' legs, sawed off at the knee, their hooves still attached are stacked like firewood to his left. In front of him are the tools of his trade: a cleaver, a long carving knife and sharpening rod atop a soggy chopping block. Dangling at eye level are thick stalactites of oxidising beef, pulling away from their hooks like red crusty dough.
"People come here because they want fresh food," says Eko Presetyo, whose family has worked at the market for more than three decades. "This place isn't comfortable like a supermarket. More people want that."
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