This Little Piggy Went To Market

There are grocery stores in China, but they usually don't have very good produce and it's usually more expensive. So Spencer and I go to the wet market each week to get our fruits and veggies. They are delivered every morning from the local farms and I really love having so much fresh produce to choose from. Granted, we mostly get the same things, but someday I will be adventurous and try something new. Some day...

Anyways, welcome to the market!

There are multiple vendors inside, and in the very back is the meat vendors. No pictures from back there, I avoid it. It smells like you would imagine looks just as bad and the meat sits there all day so we buy our meat from a grocery store instead.

Our favorite vendor. There's usually a different lady here though...

Strawberries have made a recent appearance, but they are
EXPENSIVE. I'm thinking we'll buy some soon anyways.

But my favorite thing about going to the market is seeing what is just outside the entrance.

There are always bins full of the "catch-of-the-day". And most of them are still alive when we go in the morning. My little brother wanted me to take a video of the eels wiggling around, but for some reason it my camera didn't want to take video yesterday, so you don't get to enjoy that stomach-turning sight today (sorry Adam!)

Lots of fishies and shrimp, and until recently
there were also lots of crabs

BIG squid and eels

And you also always know what produce is in season by what people are selling out of their trucks and vans on the side of the road. And I know Thanksgiving is over, but I'm thinking sweet potatoes sound really good right now...

Cabbage and what we think are radishes

Sweet potatoes! Yum.

So when we get home everything has to be washed, because you never know what might be on food here. Running it under water doesn't do the trick, but vinegar does. So the fruits and veggies get a nice spa treatment in a bath of vinegar water and then they are ready for eating!

It varies in size and type, but this is about an average weekly haul
(actually I'd already eaten a couple tomatoes and oranges)
(and the 2 bananas)
All for about 4 dollars!

Hurray for fresh produce!