A Food Utopia

 Fütopia

Last Tuesday, I ironically went back to the area of my campus—now that I'm no longer going to class, but instead am doing my internship. But, you see, there is a mall across the street from my campus and its food court just got a makeover. For such a big mall, however, it leans more toward the quiet side—very few people tend to go there. Now, its food court—truth be told, I don't remember much about what it used to look like—resembles something of a modern jungle, mixed with neon lights here and there. It's adorned with numerous plastic plants, unique seating and so much wood. I knew it would be devoid of people, for the most part, and it's absolutely perfect for a photo shoot. I somewhat dragged my sister there—because we were going to see a movie and go to IKEA afterwards; her ideas, not mine—and she helped me take these photos. Okay, yeah, the place looks great, but what about the food? Glad you asked. This place is pretty packed with numerous local restaurants, dessert places and snack stalls—including Cheung Fun. If you like pork, this place has a few selections for you too. I would recommend Kwetiau 28 Aho—they have the best Kwetiau Siram Daging and pretty awesome Kwetiau Goreng as well—and it's pork-free, for all Muslims out there.

Hand-me-down dress + tights + purse // thrifted jacket // MKS shoes // photos by Akita

While I pretty much enjoyed the food—oh man, my mouth is watering just from the thought of that godly Kwetiau—and the movie—we saw Terlalu Tampan and it cracked us up!—I can't say the same about IKEA. I've been to IKEA in Indonesia before, but back then it was a weekday, so there weren't a lot of people. We could still breathe and walk around freely, no problem. This time, though, my sister dragged me there on a national holiday—and man, was that a mistake. It felt like a zoo in there, truly. Numerous families with little children were walking all over the place, fathers climbing onto children's beds and boyfriends taking photos of their girlfriends like they own the place. There were too many people and too many products—my head spun. A bit of a culture shock for me—so different from the IKEAs I've been to before. Is this even from the same brand? I can see the exhaustion and frustration in all the workers' faces—I feel you, ladies and gents. Can I just have a little shoutout to everyone in Indonesia who's going to IKEA at some point? Please, please, please remember that it's not your home—so don't get too comfortable—but also don't treat it like a tourist landmark. It's really just another furniture store, okay.