To Market, To Market: Admiralty Wet Market

Retrospectively, an established wet market then was in an open air context, where fresh produce stalls gathered and arranged uniquely along roadside or a vacant compound, ie open carpark space. Usually, siting in a shophouses area, brought in the crowds and business to kopitiam (coffee shop), kedai runcit (provision shops) or clinic(s) from morning to noon, vice versa. Sellers would think of a way to pipe in water, or set-up a gas and stove if cooking was required. Cages for poultries, big rotan baskets for bundles of green leaves, or sometimes, big lorry just behind the seller! Raining days brought in challenges to the sellers and patrons too. When a market was over populated, it would be expanded naturally to the nearby gas station, to next junction and into the minor arterial road in the adjacent housing zone, like crawling branches of a money tree plant. It caused huge chaotic to morning traffic in the vicinity, and everyone would do adjustment to each time of expansion. One of my friends was affected, the market nearby her house extended further and went into the road right in front of her house. Patrons' cars were parked in front of her house inconsiderably. Big frown. Essentially, market was where people had gather for purchase and sale of provisions, livestock and other daily goods. People didn't mind the disorder of a market place mostly, as it brought many conveniences than inconveniences. Maybe they minded, but just had to close one eye.

Well, I'm from Malaysia, grown up and stayed in a suburb of the city of Kuala Lumpur and then moved to a small town called Lunas, Kulim- up in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Those were my past experience with pasar, aka wet market. People improvised along the way in siting a market or should I say it is the evolution of a market.

(To be fair, over these years, wet market is slowly becomes part of a township and well-planned to be fitted into a neighbourhood and serve the people, not just the morning, but until dusk too. There is physical, structured infrastructure to house a market orderly and provided ample car parking lots, such as the one in the new neighbourhood that my parents moved into few years ago. I have yet to familiarise with that market yet though.)

By and large, it is pretty different from local wet market, where mostly are sheltered and well-facilitated. Since we relocated in Singapore for coming to ten years, I didn't have issue with transiting and patronising the indoor wet market here in Singapore... except the stuffy environment part.

Supposedly, I am part of a blog train sharing about the market I frequenting here in Singapore. But the task of writing current unlocks my past. Those days, I was dragged to market by my mum, to learn to adapt the buzz and to help her with her loot. This part of the memory was locked for long, until this blog train. All the sudden the images of the old pasar I visited flashback, and I have to pen it down.

I reckon, the past helped me in venturing the local markets. Otherwise, I would probably stuck with the supermarkets and totally not blending into local culture and living. There are many similarities of the wet-markets between two countries, despite the walls and shelters.

So today, I am going to share with you on my experience with Admiralty Wet Market, where I frequently visit since we move into the neighbourhood 7 years ago. The part that I like about wet market is the vegetables. As I don't do meal plan usually, a market with immense-ranged of vegetable do the tricks. The more, the better, as we eat all range of vegetables. I pick what are on good deal or good look on display. There are three big vegetable stalls occupy in this market, I patronise them all randomly, depending on the variety on the day. Normally, I would spend $6 to $10 on a bag of vegetables and I would get little coriander, pandan leaves, curry leaves or spring onion for free from the seller, upon my request. It is part of the 'tradition' of local wet market. I love it! As I don't usually need a lot of those vegetables. Most of the time, the vegetable stalls operate until dusk and usually lots of lelong (cheap offers) in midday. My mum loves this part, late visit to get cheap vegetables.

At one end of one row of the stalls. The array that is being covered by the plastic blind.

Being one of the neighbourhood pasar (wet market), Admiralty Wet Market contains a vast range of fresh and dried produce. From meat to vegetables, from fruit to herbs and spices. Compacting approximately 20 stalls in four rows, plus one fruit seller, one egg stall, two provision shops and a organic (& vegetarian) shop within, it can be very jam-packed during weekend when most visiting the market to stock up food for the coming week. Occasionally, can hear loud grumpy "Excuse me". Very buzzy, not a place for ochlophobist. Each stall has its 'backyard' and is connected to its back-of-the-house array for loading/unloading purpose. Tremendously organised, compare to those markets back in my home country. The high ceiling helps in terms of ventilation, there are only three entrance/exit points into the compacted market.

The egg stall and the mini organic store.

There is only one egg stall here and compare to to the other market and the super market (NTUC), it doesn't price low. But for convenience's sake and I love eggs for its versatility and stock-ability, I would buy from this stall. Quail egg is surprisingly cheaper though. $2 (was $1.60) for a pack of 18 quail eggs. However, how often do one household consume quail eggs?

The mini organic store has vast range of products, sauces and condiments, pasta and grains, they grind local coffee beans too. It is just diagonally opposite to the egg stall, I would get sea salt, spices and various beans from here sometime.

Further down the egg stall, a provision shop with all sort of dried food and cooking essentials, preserved vegetables, canned food and this one here ready with a grinder to sell fresh coconut flake. I am a fan of coconut flake. As much as I want to, I would like to get it to make bun, like my mum did. But, the only easier way I know to use the coconut flake is juicing the coconut milk out making sticky rice. Then again, I don't buy coconut flake very often, I buy anchovies fishes, silver fishes, peanuts, dried mushrooms, dried oysters, flour, and some other dried food more from this provision shop.

Opposite the provision shop is the herbs and spices stall essentially for India cooking. Ahem, I don't patron this stall as I know nuts of those ingredients on the shelves, but I always fascinated with the colours and packages displayed and covered up half the frontage of the stall.

As for meat, there are one halal meat supplier, two other non-halal poultry stalls and three pork stalls. The halal food stall sells chicken, beef and mutton, mainly I believe. Being the one and only halal meat supplier, it is always a queue waiting during weekend. It would be super long queue prior to any festival.

The roasted pork and duck stall is with a new owner now, looks clean and the meat seems crispy. I have not try them yet though. I am at 'wait and see' stage (ha!) and I kind of comfortable with getting roasted pork ribs from Chong Pang Market if I crave for it to boil soup.

Next to the roasted meat stall, there are three different pork butchers side by side each other. I only frequenting to one who always fulfil my special requests of lard, soft-boned meat, or chopping the pork ribs into smaller pieces, or more fats for minced meat. He would ensure that the meat he sells to me is tender for kids and olds. Recently he moves from one stall to another, he didn't tell the reason even though i asked. I continue to buy from him.

There are altogether 4 fishmongers in this market. Again, I only get fishes, prawns or cuttlefishes from one stall. It ain't cheap, it is probably a weekly burn-my-pocket deal. But I would be guarantee of the freshness I get. One very peculiar finding I get is that fresh sea prawns are rare to get in this market (or is it in Singapore?), and farmed prawns would cause me allergy. I end up with fishes most of the time. Crab? Apparently NTUC Fairprice sells the cheapest, and in this market, it is only sold once a week on Saturday(with another fishmonger). I have not have the courage to buy other fresh shellfishes (and cook) in Singapore yet. Anyway, this seller recognises me and he knows I don't usually get freshwater fishes (I am a fussy fish eater). He knows I don't bother with the price, but occasionally he would give me discount, probably just to pacify me.

Here, we have one dual-stall selling a huge range of Chinese soy bean products, various kind of noodles and variety of processed food. I frequenting this stall to get different sort of noodles, or bean curds or if Little Bomber is tagging along with me to the market, she would insist to buy some fishballs or fishcakes. The only thing I have yet to buy from here is the yong taufu. 

Beautiful sight of a wet market is always brought by the florist stall and fruit stalls. If my bag of loot isn't too heavy to bring back, I would get some fruits, sometime when I am in the mood and have few more bucks in my wallet, some chrysanthemum too. During the durian season, the flowers give ways to durian. Long queue always. Excellent way to bring the multicultural neighbourhood together, besides those multiracial festival celebration. As Angeline pointed out, "market have been instrumental in promoting social cohesion".

 

So you see, few stalls remember my preference and I get some "personalised service" even though I am too shy to learn about their names. Even though I only patronise the market once a week (at least). Given such a unfriendly approach and yet with this kind of privilege, I often find my self coming back here again. 

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This post is part of the "To market, To Market' Blog Train hosted by Life's Tiny Miracles.  To read about other local markets in Singapore, please click on the link.

Next up is Mei - a full time working mom and social entrepreneur who blogs about parenting, work, life and faith at Finally Mama. Every Saturday morning, her family frequents the local neighbourhood food markets and in this blog train, she shares about one of them, Pek Kio, a quiet residential market that may bot be as well known to many but is a great place to bring your kids to.