Wax Apples are far too yummy for the US.

Daffy? Is that you?

Day Market

My daily walk home from work takes me past the day market. In the morning, this is a normal street that cars are driving up and down. Then they pull the tarps over head and bring out fruits and vegetables and ducks with their heads still attached and still-flopping fish.

Occasionally, I get food here to cook at home. The star fruit and wax apples are my favorites. More often then not, I feel more inclined to talk to the roosters then eat them, so I make all of my meat-product purchases at the Western-style grocer up the street.

This market is more mundane then the adjacent night market -- and both are just plain lame compared to the Snake Alley Night Market, the Sung Shan Market, or the ever-popuar Shilin Market. I've heard that Keelung has a good night market, but have not been.

The difference between the day market and the night market (is "night" and day"?) is their purpose in the community. A day market sells market items: fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cooked, raw, bulk supplies for restaurants, big juicey green watermellons stacked outside and every kind of mushroom humanity has survived eating. A night market has food vendors, video games, pets, shoes and clothes, movable bars that set up in the middle of the road, and other attractions. Snake Alley has snake handlers and a wide selection of snake food-product (including snake penis pills. Stop laughing. I couldn't make that up). Shilin has a full on carnival with small rides for kids, bowling games, pachinko out the yinyang, and every kind of food you can imagine. A night out on the town could just mean going to the local night market.

Some of the food items I've seen here outright disturb me. The different types of blood and rice concoctions, for instance. Seeing chicken heads and hearts hanging in street vendor grills as well. And, of course, the venerable whole steamed frogs.

Don't get me wrong, I am still very adventurous. I just need to be primed properly with some Taiwan Beer.

I am typing this Sunday evening. I think it is Cinco De Mayo, but (a) no one cares about Mexico or Corona beer here, and (b) I never pay attention to dates. I have to prepare for my week of teaching. I wish everyone well. Peace out!

--05 May 2002

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