Marketplaces in China

So I’ve spent a lot of my time in China in Chinese marketplaces called 市场 (shi4 chang3), that’s where we got our groceries for the day (daily groceries what an idea!). The closest thing I’ve seen in the U.S. is probably a farmers market, but those tend to have a reputation of being more higher end, organic, expensive, etc.

These marketplaces are comprised of multiple venders selling various things like fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, prepared foods (dumplings, etc.), and picked items.

Here we go!

So here’s the entrance to our marketplace, outside are parked a lot of different bikes and motorcycles (people in China are really into bikes and motorcycles; I’ve decided that when I graduate I want to get myself a scooter).

Here’s the fish vender. They’re usually organized by types of fish and sit on top of a bed of ice. The types of fish available are usually dependant on what was caught recently.

Here’s the fish guy cleaning the fish we just bought (ripping out its guts!). They do a really good, quick, clean job. I wish people did that in the states.

Baby? Squid! I like how shiny they are.

There’s also tons of shellfish! They’re usually alive when you buy them. They’re sitting in a vat of salty? water. You can occasionally find people who sell live fish too.

Here's what a butcher’s spot will look like. I’m not sure how to explain it well but they have this larger slab of meat (like in the upper left hand corner of this picture) and as people make purchases, they’ll carve portions of meat off and dice it up for you. I was pretty in awe by the fact that none of it’s refrigerated but I guess it’s slaughtered quite recently and most people will cook it the day of.

These marketplaces can also be outdoors. Here’s a vegetable vendor. Things are usually weighed on scales and are sold as price/kilo.

These people were selling bamboo shoots. It’s a little bitter tasting and the texture is of crunchy celery?

Here’s an example of a vendor selling picked items. We never bought any but they all look super yum. I wish I had a picture of a vendor selling cooked items like dumplings but I don’t. They usually have these ribbony things attached to fans to ward off all the flies.

AVERT YOUR EYES IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH

Have I successfully warned you guys yet? Aside from live fish you can also get live poultry. Here's a picture of a duck that we bought for soup.

And here’s the guy cleaning our duck for us. I’ve got to say, the duck was very quiet during this entire process and the dude was extremely fast. I don’t think I have a strong opinion on this with regards to animal rights, I think it’s the difference between seeing it or having it behind closed doors.

This did however make me try to appreciate my food a little more.

Here’s our duck in a soup. Probably the freshest poultry I’ve ever had.