A China Story. Ian and Anji

This is from my old Blog, Weifang Whales.

Markets.

An essential part of life in China is still the street market. Many people still buy only enough food for one or two days and the markets allow this because they are only 5 minutes walk from your house. This is one of the things I am really going to miss when I leave China

In the more rural areas, there is a farmers’ market once every 5 days based on the lunar calender. Each local district will have it on a different day so that all have a chance go to each market if they wish.

The other type is the regular street markets in the towns and cities. Some are during the daylight hours and some will start in the early evening and go to about 10pm. Some venders will simply lay a blanket on the ground if they only have a little to sell. Others can have quite elaborate stalls which are permanent fixtures. Some will just sell off the back of a truck.

Qing Dao Market.

So why buy from the market? One reason, as I have already said, is convenience. One is tradition. It’s been done that way for centuries. Why change now? The other is price. There is no middle man, often no shop rent and no wages. So the price is very low. Imagine buying a kilo of ripe peaches for 50 cents? You can. I have. You can buy bulk or very little. Most is not prepacked so you simply get a plastic bag and help yourself to whatever you want and the vender will weigh it and give the price.

Many now use electronic digital scales but some still use the traditional stick with the sliding weight.

You could buy one carrot if you wanted but why would you when six will only cost you 2 yuan.

A hand of sweet bananas may be 5 yuan.

The price of most goods in China is still quoted per Jin. A jin is an old Chinese weight equivalent to around 500 grams.

Now, what can you buy in the markets? Whatever you can think of. Fruit and vegetables, bits and pieces for the house, toys for the kids and even meat, tho’ I don’t buy street meat because it just hangs in the air. Not so bad in the winter when the day time temperature rarely gets above 5 degrees but in the summer it’s a different story. Meat and 30 plus degrees Centigarde is not my idea of the perfect scenario. The shop keepers get good exercise shooing the flies away.

Another thing you can get from markets is what one would have to call fast food,traditional Chinese style. In the street directly outside the gate of our apartment complex is a mixture of small food outlets that all specialise in only type of food. It might be noodles, charcol barbeque, Huo Shao, Bao Zi (See the end of the text for an explaination) and something that resemble a Kebab but you choose what goes in it. You choose the mixture of vegetables and other odd things and they are cooked and wrapped in a tortia style bread. Sometimes it’s just not worth the effort to cook. And even if you do want to cook, which I love to do, and you realise you forgot the onions, well just down the street and around the corner, there are the vegetables. I bet you can’t come home with just the onions!!

The rest of this posting is a collection of photos of the different types and parts of markets you will find.

First some explanations of the foods I have mentioned.

Huo Shao. Weifang Meat Pies

Bao Zi. We in the west might call these Dim Sims. A small pastry bag containing meat or vegetables, steamed cooked on a hot plate.