Another trip to the market and a little about Tet
01/17/2009
It seems that I am here at a wonderful and very interesting time of year. This morning as K. and I walked to market she explained a number of things to me. Yesterday when I went to the Pho noodle shop for a bite to eat I found it closed. The chairs were standing in front of the shop and a woman was down on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor. K. says that the custom is to close shops and give them, and homes, a thorough cleaning before Tet, scrubbing away the bad fortune of the year just ending. She also explained that there are many extra things in the market because of Tet--lots of flowers, some clothes, and other gift items.
If you like seafood, this is the place to be. It is so fresh that it is still squirming. I could see the gills moving on some of the fish. Perhaps my brother could explain that to me??? Since I have no means of cooking, I passed on by to a stall selling fresh and fried tofu. After that I bought some salad in a bag--fresh greens, carrots, cucumbers, ground peanuts, some fried crispy things, and an egg, accompanied by dressing. I think it's quite clever to sell take-out food in bags rather than styrofoam...it seems just a little better for the environment.
You can find all kinds of fresh meat here...but I only took pictures in the seafood portion. The woman to the right, though, was selling some kind of small chicken. I don't know what the long brown things were in the container next to the chicken, but don't think I want to know! Notice how these women are squatting? I don't know about you, but my legs would fall asleep if I did that for very long. I'm sure these women have had lots of practice--maybe I could practice that along with my yoga.
Speaking of women, I have been struck by the hard work I have seen many women doing. There are women who carry shoulder poles with two large containers of garbage walking down the street to place where they incinerate it. There are the women working with the road crew outside my dorm--hefting shovels full of something in the heat of the day. Most of the stalls in the marketplace are run by women. And I know I've seen just the tip of the iceburg.
Back to the market--the fresh fruits and vegetables are absolutely beautiful, so let me close by sharing one more picture with you. Can you tell that I love going to market?
