Morning Market

There is no such thing as a grocery store here. There are "supermarkets" (chāoshì, 超市), but they sell an odd assortment of products, with only a little food. They have drinks, yogurt, frozen dumplings, dove chocolate and snickers, a variety of other snacks, sugar, dried noodles, oil, socks, shoes, various toys, household products like kitchenware and cleaning supplies, and personal care products like shampoo and toothpaste. There are at least five of these places in my town. (I have no idea how they all stay in business. Three of them are even at the same intersection.)

But if you really want to buy food, you have to go to the street market. There are multiple fruit stands that are open all day, but for fresh vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, pickled vegetables, and other things, you need to go to the morning market which is open from about seven to nine each morning. Some of these things you can also get at market day, which happens every five days.

Today I decided to go buy some eggs for the weekend. (I have vague plans for banana bread and maybe some other rice-cooker baking too.) On my way, I heard the snuffling of livestock and looked down a short alley to see these three chowing down on some hay.

 I'd seen plenty of water buffalo on the side of the highway or in the fields, but never stabled in the center of town like this. I guess I usually don't go into town early enough in the morning. I'm usually either in the office or in bed.

As I entered the center of the morning market intersection I noticed a local teacher buying vegetables. She beckoned me over and asked what I was buying.

"Eggs," I told her.

"Buy them here," she told me, motioning to the shop behind her which had several trays of eggs sitting on the counter. Then she asked, "Do you cook for yourself on the weekends?"

"Sometimes," I responded. If I responded yes, she would probably think that I made Chinese meals, which I don't. I don't even have a hot plate or a pan. But I've been putting my rice cooker to use. It's hard to communicate this in Chinese, though, since baking isn't something they're used to outside of a bakery. And it's not exactly baking if it's done in a rice cooker. But between my rice-cooker baking and the occasional bowl of noodles on the street, I do fine for myself on the weekends.

Then she insisted on paying for my eggs. I already had my money out, and I tried to pay, but she wouldn't let me. She was very insistent. And very sweet.