Trip to the local wet market 菜市场

[abcdefg]

Walked over this morning to buy a few items for the coming week, something I always enjoy doing. Snapped some photos with my mobile phone to give you an idea of what it was like. Part of what I enjoy is the general hustle and bustle; the feeling of abundant life. And most vendors seem to be in a good humor; they don't mind my asking silly questions.

 

 

It's also a place where you never know what you might see. The man carrying a big sign advertising some wonder-working herbal medicine is an example. "Famous throughout the whole of China; Good for men, women, old folks and children." A young boy walks behind with a basket of it for sale, while his wife minds the main stall.

 

 

 

There are contrasts galore. The lady who sells cherries 樱桃 and mulberries 桑椹 also sells freshly butchered goat 羊肉。I have yet to figure out how to tactfully ask her about this odd combination of wares.

 

 

In another recent thread, we've been talking about the great selection of pickled vegetables 酸菜/泡菜 available in this part of the world. http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/51433-yunnan-spicy-fish-%E9%85%B8%E8%8F%9C%E9%B1%BC%E7%89%87/#comment-394417

 

That discussion was still in my mind as I walked around, so I took a lot of snapshots at several of those stalls. Part of what I wanted to show you was the large variety of pickled vegetables. That and the fact that there were lots of such vendors, attests to their popularity in this part of the world.

 

   

 

 

This lady and her husband were not very talkative. I wanted to ask about which kinds of greens were more hot, which were more sour, how long it took to make them and such.

 

Several years ago, local friends took me up into the NE mountains on the other side of Kunming's largest water reservoir to a community that had achieved popularity as a retreat for spending the hot summer days 避暑。Kind of a summer resort, with scenic lodging and home-style meals only an hour out of town.

 

A friend knew the proprietor at one of the inns that had become famous as a maker of pickled fare. The owner took us into several large rooms where row after row of stoneware crocks were arranged together, each row holding a different kind of pickled vegetable. Most were about knee high and the lids were not fastened down, but instead just set on loose into a trough, forming a water seal so that the gasses released during fermentation could escape, but the ambient air could not get in. Some crocks could be heard bubbling.

 

   

 

I didn't know much about local food back then and was under-impressed with the strange hot and sour lunch, in which every item was made with one or another spicy pickled condiment. Nonetheless, the owner sent us all home with a plastic bag or two of nasty smelling stuff to either incorporate into a dish or just leave untouched in the fridge a couple of weeks, until it could be discarded without guilt.

 

Now, 5 or 6 years later, I love the stuff. The change happened little by little; not all at once. Crazy, I know.

 

Another 泡菜 vendor where I've bought before was more talkative. Hadn't actually planned to, but wound up buying some of her flagship product, dark fermented soybeans 黑豆豉。"Rich, well-balanced, and generally glorious" was how she modestly put it.

 

 

 

She said they would be real good with thinly sliced chips of beef 牛肉片。I was attracted to the bright and pretty pickled peppers and sort of wheedled her into selling me some of those too. She said they were not very hot. My thought was to use both of those with the beef in a stir fry because it would look so good. She said it would be better to use one or the other; "more traditional." Not sure how I'll proceed, but will keep you posted.

 

She had so many other items that looked savory and delicious. I plan to go back several times and try new ones, maybe discover some keepers. Would be best to keep a notebook or "pickled food journal." Not sure I'm disciplined enough for the task, but I'll take it under advisement.

 

     

 

My bags were getting heavy by now. Stopped by one of the beef vendors, most of whom appear to be Muslim 回族 judging from their head scarfs. They are located far away from the pork vendors, not on an adjacent aisle. Can't help wondering if the beef ladies and the pork ladies even exchange pleasantries on the way to or from lunch. Topic for further research.

 

 

As I was selecting a piece of meat, the two ladies shopping beside me asked what I planned to cook. Showed them my pickled black soybeans and brilliant pickled red peppers. They smiled approvingly and reminded me to slice the beef across the grain very thin so it wouldn't be tough. Forgot to ask their opinions about using both kinds of pickles together. Housewives tend to know things like that.

 

Headed for the exit, hoping to find one of the three-wheeled scooters 三轮车 to take me and my finds back to my apartment. It's only a 15 minute walk, but now I was loaded with produce and meat and wouldn't mind paying the usual 10 Yuan. These are China's answer to the ubiquitous tuk-tuks of Thailand.

 

 

Passed a guy with fresh mangoes and couldn't resist buying two of them. He helped me select one suitably ripe for today, and one for tomorrow or the day after. 熟一点/生一点。

 

Then I saw Mr. Magic Mouse. I privately nicknamed him that last year. He isn't here all the time; seems to rotate between markets. He sells an electrical gadget that looks like a tiny light bulb which is guaranteed to kill mice, rats, roaches and even mosquitoes. Just plug it in and flip the switch; that's all she wrote.

 

 

 

Animal rights activists would tar and feather this guy because he demonstrates his small appliance by turning it on momentarily and letting the prospective buyers watch his poor captive mouse cower, flinch and convulse. That proves it works. He said they only cost 10 Yuan here today, though they normally sell for 50 in Shanghai.

 

Found my ride, made it home, unloaded my treasures. Several days of good eating await. Will keep you apprised of any memorable results.

[Shelley]

Thank you. I really appreciate these little peeks into real life in china. As someone who realistically will not be able to travel to china because of my health problems (nothing terrible, but just enough to make impossible) this is a treat to see.

 

The hustle and bustle of any market is always great, it seems to encompass the down to earth life of the ordinary person, I can just imagine myself wandering around such a market.

 

In the fourth picture there is a huge tree trunk that has been used as table/chopping block, would love to have something like that as garden table or in the kitchen as a butchers block, but you would need a big kitchen.

 

I wonder if Mr. Magic Mouse has only one mouse and if so why does the mouse react to a light bulb? Has he wired the cage up to give a mild shock? Or does the mouse die in front of your eyes as a demonstration and then he takes out another mouse from under the table and starts again? This has really got me wondering. I know its only a mouse but I don't think we should hurt any living thing unnecessarily.

 

Once again thank you for sharing.

[abcdefg]

You're welcome, Shelley. Would love to show you around.

 

If some close friends or relatives were to drop in to see me and had only very short time to get an idea of what China is actually like, one of the things I would be sure to include is a trip to the local wet market. It's a prime "slice of real life" that would be of more value than a couple hours at a museum or five-diamond scenic park. Nothing is staged or rehearsed.

 

People there often ask where I'm from and so on. "Do they have this in America?" or "How much does this cost in America?" They also kind of look out for me. Once I forgot to collect my change after a purchase and the vendor's young son chased me down. Sometimes they give me a taste of something special. Last week the egg man let me have half a warm salted duck egg he had just finished making.

 

The mouse doesn't die since the guy only gives it a tiny brief dose as an illustration of the devastating effect it would have on rats, mice, cockroaches or mosquitoes in your home. At home you turn it on and leave it overnight. The vendor gives no real explanation of how the small device works. He says it "emits rays." It might be a scam. I agree that it's not a humane demonstration. Poor mouse.

 

Sometimes I walk around with an actual camera and take shots of things that look interesting or unusual. The man who grinds dried red chilies into a powder; the lady who produces fresh sesame oil on the spot, pounding it out of seeds; the couple who skilfully carve cured ham into pieces; the guys selling half a dozen kinds of farmed mushrooms, including the big white puffs; the family who specializes in bee and wasp larvae; the woman with a pile of fresh wild bamboo shoots, and so on.

 

   

 

Then a few days later, I return and give those same people prints. It elicits a smile since it is unexpected.

[onebir]

"the family who specializes in bee and wasp larvae"... for food?

 

I saw some food bugs in KM, but only remember the (huge) bamboo grubs. What else is popular?

[abcdefg]

Onebir -- Wasp larvae are popular here as a delicacy. They are typically stir fired with scallions and peppers. (I have not tried making them.)

 

These are the famous bamboo grubs. A friend brought these back to me from her home town in far south Yunnan, packaged live in a segment of bamboo. She carried them 11 hours on the bus.

 

   

 

The local Dai restaurants 傣味 in particular feature an assortment of bugs, sometimes half a dozen different kinds. Must confess that I only eat them when pressed and consider them mainly a curiosity; not really a treat. Have been told they go best with plenty of 白酒 to wash them down.

[onebir]

I had no idea wasp larvae were on the menu

 

I remember there's an upmarket food court (pretty central, you go up several wide flights of stairs, & some classy restaurants & tea shops at the top) with insect speciality stalls. But being vegetarianish I got to skip the bugs.

 

(Ps maybe do a thread on live food seen on Chinese buses? I've seen turtles...)

[889]

Quite a few devices out there that claim to use sound against mice.

 

Then there are these:

 

https://world.taobao.com/item/27387148202.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z3o.7695460.0.0.0seBbX

 

https://world.taobao.com/item/22380171827.htm?spm=a1z3o.7695283.0.0.zlKOCi

 

http://info.ryp.cn/detail/247780.html

[abcdefg]

Interesting, @889. That first one looks exactly like what he was selling, right down to the colors of the packaging. And at only 5 Yuan. (His was selling for 10.)

 

https://world.taobao.com/item/27387148202.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z3o.7695460.0.0.0seBbX

电子驱鼠器驱蟑螂灭鼠器LED驱鼠器驱蚊灯防鼠器老鼠药直销批发

 

 

[889]

But it looks like 国内 shipping adds 10 RMB, so overall he's cheaper.

 

What has me intrigued is the third one on the list, which claims a range of 1km! Who's to say your neighbours don't want their mice.

[Shelley]

Who's to say your neighbours don't want their mice.

 

Ha, this made me laugh, it could be you live with in 1km of a research laboratory. They certainly want their mice

 

Or your neighbours keep mice as pets for the kids!!

 

But I suspect no one need worry about any mice being harmed by these devices

[Alex_Hart]

Darn you twice over, abcdefg (yes, I used your full name to show my anger!). Here I am, sitting in the library and pretending to be a studious student, and you wreck it all by making me salivate. The nostalgia! The yearning! The missed opportunities! Why didn't I do more home cooking so I could try all these delicious looking pickled goods?! Why did I only spend 2 months in Chengdu instead of 2 years? Heck, why didn't I just move to China!? Why did I apply to 杭州 when I could go to 昆明 in September!? Is there even a point to a life spent eating grocery store food shipped from 3,000 miles away!? When my pickles are made in a factory? When my choice is dill or garlic? No!

[abcdefg]

I feel your pain, Alex_Hart, and wish that I could arrange for you to teleport across vast distances in the blink of an eye to join me on the next wet market trip. Shelley could hitch a ride from England in Dr. Who's Tardis and the three of us could explore local wares, taste free samples, ask endless questions and buy a few things to cook up later the same day. Afterwards we could each return to our previous lives. That would be a fine adventure!

[Shelley]

Perfect abcdefg. I will book my place in the Tardis and see you soon.

 

If only....If only....

[Alex_Hart]

abcd, I am perfectly OK with not returning! Shelley, be sure to stop by NYC with your Tardis (just checking, but the ride is free, correct?)! 

[Shelley]

I last was in NYC when I was 15. My uncle lived in White Plains and I stayed with him for Christmas and my 16th birthday. Arrived at the bus station from Montreal on a Greyhound, was met by my Uncle who took me for dinner on the 64th floor of the Rockefeller building and then we went ice skating at the rink in the front of the building.

 

Excellent day out for my birthday, spent the rest of the time in White Plains which was also great.

 

So yes maybe I will divert to NYC in the Tardis as it can go anywhere and anywhen it won't be a problem.

[Alex_Hart]

Nice memory! I've been to White Plains many times. Sadly, we're not staying! Keep your eye on the prize: Pick me up, and let's go meet abcd! He owes us strawberries and pickles (or even... pickled strawberries!?).

[somethingfunny]

How do they react when you go back and give them prints?  I feel while someone in the UK would be surprised by the effort made by someone who is essentially a stranger, they would definitely value it nonetheless.  I can't help feeling that here in China, the reaction would be more along the lines of confusion.

 

You're absolutely right though, I always try and take visitors to a local market like this - a real one, where people are doing their regular shopping.  Last time I did that though we came across a lady skinning live frogs.  That was pretty dark.

[abcdefg]

How do they react when you go back and give them prints?

 

Good question. I expected just a smile and a thank you, but several of the people were clearly confused. A couple of them at first shook their heads, signifying they did not want them. That caught me off balance. I think they suspected a commercial pitch was coming. "If you like these, I can make you a dozen more to promote your business and it will only cost you 359 Yuan."

 

There's an intriguing small store on the way to the market which sells calligraphy supplies. They have a display of all kinds of brushes hanging in front, some small and some very large. It always surprises me that there are so many kinds, each for a different purpose. I often stop to browse and chat with the owner. I never buy, since I don't do calligraphy.

 

Took some photos there one day (with permission, of course.) When I went back, the guy wasn't in, so I gave the pictures to his wife, who didn't know me from Adam. She was really perplexed and acted like it was some kind of a trap. My hunch is that merchants get burned over and over by slick-talking door to door salesmen and have learned to be wary.

[somethingfunny]

I wonder what they do with the photographs.

 

Funnily enough I was in Chengdu tea market the other day (it's big, but not as big as Kunming, and they have more 铁观音 and local tea than the 普洱 I was after), but anyway, I was in one shop and in the space of about half an hour three different people came in peddling something.  The lady was pretty seasoned though and without batting an eyelid would just say "好,你放着吧" indicating for them to leave whatever leaflet they had to one side.  Worked a treat.  At one point a person came in and I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, or if they were selling something or begging for money, or if they were talking or singing, or if they were in fancy dress or just wearing make-up. 

[abcdefg]

At one point a person came in and I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, or if they were selling something or begging for money, or if they were talking or singing, or if they were in fancy dress or just wearing make-up.

 

Those are great China moments! I've had a few and I relish them. Undefinable and ambiguous to the core. An essential part of the "Real China Experience" as contrasted with the neat, sterile packaged events that the guidebooks strive to present for you to paste into your scrap book of memories. 

 

"Yesterday we went to the Beijing Hutongs and saw lots of very old houses. But today we went to the Chengdu tea market and saw...well, I'm not sure quite what it was that we saw there."