I told myself to be productive and stop procrastinating so that I could reward myself with some Thai sweets later on. So, I got on with all the house work and got several things done in the afternoon. Then I went to the local market a few kilometers away to get my supplies of fresh vegetables and to search for Thai sweets.
The wet market where we could buy fresh vegetables and most cooking ingredients situated behind the main road. I usually went to the dry section of this market for vegetables, garlic and onions. So, I didn’t have to walk through the wet section. Then I surveyed those small shops and stalls along the footpath. There’s a super market with cool air conditioning on the opposite side of the road. But vegetarians were much fresher in the local market where vendors had to have new supply everyday.
I enjoyed seeing the small old grocery stores which I used to see in my childhood. These shops had an amazing way of piling things on shelves and the shopkeepers could always remember where things were including their prices. Most grocery stores had been out of business since small supermarkets started to spread around the cities. People preferred to shop in air conditioned market with price tags of goods clearly visible. The big supermarkets always provided parking space and trolleys too.
But the shopkeepers of small grocery stores in the past could remember all their customers. Some customers could even get credit lines so that the bills could be settled at the end of the month. Sometimes, people could even pay later as they forgot their purses at their houses. But they wouldn’t have credit cards or money transfers in those days. These old style groceries would soon go out of business as the elderly shopkeepers would be the last generation who could manage the unique management requirements of the disorganised shelves.
The local market gave an opportunity for unemployed people a chance to make a living. They could pay very little fees for selling flowers and jasmine garlands, some home made snacks and fruits, including street food. I found an elderly Chinese man selling home made tofu at the corner of the road. So, I had to get two pieces of tofu to taste at home. I wondered how he could stand the noises of the traffic at the junction. Lots of motorcycles stopped at the traffic lights and the air quality ought to be quite unhealthy too.
The old shophouses reminded me of those in New Road as these communities were the early to develop and expand into big clusters of settlements during the reign of King Rama V. The Chinese immigrants played an important role in establishing commerce and local markets in various areas of Bangkok. They were the experts in marketing and very entrepreneurial. Most vendors I saw around the market were mostly Chinese descendants of their migrating ancestors.
I had to cross over to the other side to look for my favourite Thai sweets. There were more stalls selling street-food and take home ready-made food for busy people. This local market seemed to have a wide selection of fast food for taking home such as Padthai, rice noodles in gravy, and lots of non-vegetarian food.
I was delighted to find some Thai sweets made by an elderly Chinese lady. I wondered how a Chinese lady knew how to make typical Thai sweets. There were several stalls selling Chinese sweets, but I still preferred these Thai sweets made from rice flour, beans and coconut.
She had about six kinds of Thai sweets; I tried to limit myself to only two choices. I could finish everything in one evening so I shouldn’t indulge in buying one of each types of sweets. I settled for ‘bean in coconut coating’ and ‘coconut gravy in rice flour balls’. These were very delicious and much better quality than those from big supermarkets.
The old lady made them fresh everyday and she didn’t cheat on the ingredients. She even used perfumed candles to bake the ingredients so that customers could smell the sweet aroma while munching these sweet. The experience was simply divine to me. I ought to use this trick to motivate myself to work harder and more efficiently next week.
These small shops and vendors really made everyday life possible as they continued to feed their customers who were too busy to buy groceries every weekend or cook food for themselves. These vending stalls would be closed on Monday according to local regulations. Monday was supposed to be cleaning day by local authority. I forgot all about the old regulation and went to the market on Monday and came back empty handed. I still could try the other kinds of Thai sweets next week. But I had to finish my tasks of packing old belongings into boxes first before I could have my rewards!
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.
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