markets

Part of the joy of visiting a foreign country is discovering different ways of life. And particularly for me, I love seeing the differences in the way people shop and the products offered in the markets.

There are 2 types of outdoor markets in Hong Kong - wet and dry. The wet market sells produce and seafood and meat -- foodstuffs. The dry, well, dry goods. If you've never been to an Asian country, this can be a little intimidating. People are crowding all around, there's meat just sitting out there, and the smells are stronger than what Westerners are used to. At one wet market, we passed half a goat hanging at a corner stand with no barrier between it and passersby. That wasn't all that appealing, however as we were walking by the fish stalls, they all looked so fresh (yes, still twitching) and delicious that I was quite tempted to buy one and cook it for dinner. We unfortunately always had dinner plans (my sister was too good a planner!).

At the dry market, you can find clothing, bath supplies, watches, detergent, and other such random things. Certain ones of these markets cater more to the tourists, so you'll find more "I heart HK" shirts and fake bags and Rolexes. Vendors are also a lot more aggressive, especially if you're carrying a camera and accompanied by a gwailo. Bargaining is standard, and as a rule of thumb, start your counteroffer at 50%, feel free to comparison shop, and don't be afraid to walk away, but I must admit that I left the haggling to my sister and Matt.

The grocery stores looked like most other grocery stores, but you could find the differences in the details. Of course they had the staples, like fruits and drinks and meats. But the flavors are all different. The snack aisle is illuminating - for example there were lots of seaweed flavored potato chips. I wandered off for 10 minutes in the grocery store and left the rest of them wondering what had happened to me... but it's all fascinating, so similar and yet so different.

Oh. And they have a street where all they sell is fish in bags. Not for eating, but for pleasure - ornamental fish, like goldfish and siamese fighting fish.

I love traveling.