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Weekly 5: Hip trends imported from a Western world
JP/AWOJakarta may be the melting pot of the countryâs vast array of cultures but it is also open to many cultural trends from abroad
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JP/AWO
Jakarta may be the melting pot of the country's vast array of cultures but it is also open to many cultural trends from abroad. It is often said that the youth of Jakarta are the most updated about trends from other countries and arguably the most open. This may or may not be true. Jakarta does not simply accept different cultures and trends, but infuses them with a taste of the city's flavor. Check out five of the favorite US-inspired Western world trends that you might find here.
Food trucks
In 2008, after the economic crisis, the food truck culture hit the US, serving up inexpensive but deliciously branded food with a statement. Food trucks soon became a way for top-shelf chefs to serve fancy food from a less expensive environment, transforming the US into 'the food truck nation'.
While the trend may have faded from the US, Jakartans have taken to the streets with an army of food trucks. Over the last year, hungry young entrepreneurs around the city began their start-up journey as food truck vendors and the trend quickly grew. The food truck is now a go-to place for the city's hipster crowd.
Most food trucks in Jakarta sell Western food. From the well-known Jakarta Food Truck with its signature Sloppy Joe sandwich and Loco Mama with its Mexican dishes, to the lesser-known who sell a variety of fusion foods, the city now boasts a peak-hour traffic jam worth of food trucks.
Organic Food
Organic food first became popular in 1940s following a modern organic movement that had kicked off in Europe as a response to the introduction of industrialized agriculture that heavily relied on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
The organic food trend, along with the wider organic movement, has been embraced by urbanites in Indonesia for many years. Due to the high cost of organic, the lifestyle food is considered a luxury by many people.
'Compared to other food products, organic food is much more expensive. For example, a bunch of spinach is usually Rp 1,500, while a bunch of organic spinach can reach Rp 8,000,' said consumer Ullya Hamdani Rahma, 35.
Rahma said that the money she spent on organic food was worth it as it had aided the upkeep of her fitness level and her youthful appearance.
Pop-up markets
The pop-up market or store, also known as a flash store, first appeared in Europe and the US in 2003, when the commercial real estate market tumbled, along with soaring vacancy rates. The short-term stores mostly popped up in vacant mall spaces and abandoned storefronts.
The idea became a hit in Jakarta in 2009, where many young people had wanted to start a business without sufficient budget to rent a storefront.
Today, its easy to spot pop-up stores around the capital, each selling a variety of trend-conscious goods, from clothes to vintage records.
Handayani Kinarasanti, 24, is among the young people in the city who organize pop-up markets. 'I started the business since 2010, when I was still at university. At that time, I noticed that many young people loved to attend pop-up markets, to buy or sell goods, but such events were rare,' Kina said.
Essential oil
Essential oil was once the staple of beauty salons but in the last few years, the quality oil, extracted from plants such as lavender, lemon, tea tree and peppermint, became a hot conversation topic among Jakarta's middle class mothers. Now the small bottles fill their shelves as a go-to natural healing or holistic health treatment.
Dwi, a 25-year-old worker at a government institution, said that her friend recommended she use essential oil. 'I have quite severe acne and my friend suggested I use tea tree essential oil,' she said.
She added that, although it took long time, her face began to look cleaner.
Bikram Yoga
Bikram Yoga, or hot yoga, is a brand of yoga practiced in a room heated to 40 degrees Celsius, with humidity of 40 percent. It was founded by Bikram Choudhury and popularized in the US, which is home to more than 300 studios.
Bikram Yoga is quite controversial. While its literature claims that the practice can release toxins, many consider that such a practice can cause dehydration.
The founder is even more controversial. He was ordered to pay nearly US$6.5 million to his former legal adviser who claimed that he sexually harassed and wrongfully fired her when she had begun to investigate another rape allegation made against Bikram.
Amid such controversy, Bikram Yoga remains popular in Jakarta.
