The State of the Market.

A few weeks ago, Steve posted a great blog about farmers' markets in California. It really made me very nostalgic for the familiar bounty of my home state. In Vietnam, almost every street has its own farmer's market, every day. The city is surrounded by farms, and there are many truck gardens throughout the city as well.

Every morning the farm women (and a few men)
come into town on bicycle or motorbike, and then
walk the streets carrying baskets of fruit or vegetables.

We are amazed at the freshness and quality of produce here.

You have to go in the morning--by afternoon many of the vendors
have already gone and the fruit and vegetables that are left
are pretty picked over.

There are all manner of tropical fruits, including many kinds of banana,
which is native to S.E. Asia. Some varieties still have seeds,
bred out of western types which are all clones of the Asian originals.

All kinds of greens and lettuces, utterly fresh.
Chickens plucked before your eyes.

Pig's feet, ears, snouts, and other porky goodness.

Live fish, crabs, eels, and snails,

Mounds of white and gray guts, freshly-washed and glistening,

whole roasted ducks and dogs (I'll spare you those), and much, much more.

We have our favorite vendors we go to who know what we want and how much of it. It's a very different shopping experience. If we want western foods, we have to travel across town to a supermarket (none in our neighborhood). But the produce in the supermarkets is pathetic, so we do most of our shopping on the street. We'll miss it when we leave.

P.