Perched high on the 12th floor of Tea Way Hotel one early morning and through the progressive lens of my spectacles, I noticed a bustling market at a distance!
As it was mere days to the most important Chinese New Year, there were throngs of locals along Xinmin Street, hoping to grab fresh ingredients likely for the upcoming rituals and reunion dinner on the eve; a crucial symbolic meal even for Singaporean Chinese like me!
Not sure about you but I like to visit markets in other countries! It's always amazing to see fresh produce, especially the kind you don't see in Singapore, and the way they were displayed.
For one, we don't commonly have truckloads filled with ears of corns for sale right on a truck, although such scenes were aplenty in many countries, including Thailand.
Now that I no longer lived with my parents, I have to do my own marketing and hence, am more acquainted with the prices of "stuff". Given my love for fruits, I am pretty sensitive to fluctuations to fruit prices.
For sure, there were great deals, especially fruits that were grown and harvested in Taiwan! Custard apples at about S$2 each, and native pineapples for just NT$100 for three!
Less sensitive with vegetable pricing yet 73 Singapore cents every 600 grams for such a humongous, beautiful cabbage should not be considered too expensive right?
Sign in front indicated the pricing for the bundles of kangkong behind the radishes! Priced at just 80 cents for one bundle, I was more impressed with the hollow insides of the kangkong; they were wider than the ones we have in Singapore!
More photographs.
Sale of the glutinous new year cakes used initially as offerings but will turn out to be delicious snacks after being covered in a layer of batter, and deep fried! p.s. the new year cake must of a certain quality of course.
Early morning eat fried chicken?! Thankfully, I am not a breakfast person and given my age (significantly lower metabolism); it's better not to overindulge!
The way these meat were wrapped seemed to suggest they would be used as offerings for ancestral worships. Just not too sure about their expiry dates.
Seafood and raw meat stalls! Usually the ones giving out the strongest stench, the smell was surprisingly quite muted. Was it due to the cool weather?
A sight you would not find out of place even in Singapore; the need to ensure you secure the freshest prawns! Dead they were but try to choose those that had a curvy, not straight back.
Imitation crab sticks; the one ingredient well loved by kids, and great for steamboat! Judging from the precariously placed boxes at the back, business must be booming!
2 packs for NT$150 (about S$6).
And you can sample before buying!
Many left with bags and bags of produce. Sadly, I am a foreigner and there's a bloody baggage limit for airlines! If not, I might have hauled back some sweet potatoes, honey, and custard apples.
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Address
Xinmin Street, East District,
Taichung City, Taiwan
Map
As above.
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