Rainstorm, fruit fall

I’ve said it again and again, I LOVE the night market. While it is true, the freshest produce is to be found in the day markets, I like the cool and comfort of the night, and the sepia light of dusk casts such a forgiving glow on things. Which is probably why one should not buy prawns at the night markets, but, oh well.

Anyhow, ever since we moved into our house, Wednesday night has been set aside for produce shopping and larder stocking. I’ve found some good stuff at the night market, and it is there that I got my supply of prawns to practice my prawn noodles with.

I have become known to the traders there, and I think they like my company and funny attempts at pidgin dialects. I, in turn, have developed a respect for them, and a fierce loyalty. If I can buy something from one of the traders and profit them, I will wait for Wednesday to get it, instead of filling the coffers of the hypermarkets. This is the only way I see these traders continuing to have relevance, amid their shrinking clientele. I think we owe it to these small businesses to patronize them and help them make an honest living. Sure, maybe things are a bit dearer, but I find quality is so much better sometimes.

I especially try to go shopping on rainy days because I know how badly their business is affected. I try very hard to buy stuff so that they may be able to turn a small profit.
Today’s rain began at 4.30pm and never let up. I went to the night market with an umbrella. It’s awful to juggle shopping bags and an umbrella, but today I made out in spades. I got some Korean capsicums from Leong, my vegetable trader. They look perfect for stuffing cream cheese and a bit of creamed seafood into!

RM10 for 20 persimmons.

I love the blush on these jambus!

The biggest windfall was the fruit. I made out like a bandit! Just this evening I was telling Kit that we should eat way more fruit. Fruit is easier to eat because it does not need cooking. It is a bit of a bother to prep vegetables and wash the pans just for a stir fried dish.

I bought a kilo of beautiful rosy jambu for RM10 from a regular fruiterer and some grapes from the other fruit seller. The one stall I don’t patronize as much because I think he’s got integrity issues, was where I hit pay dirt. I got 20 persimmons for RM10 and as I looked at the avocados which were priced at RM10 for 5, he told me I could have the whole box for RM20!

My 20 RM1 avocados!

The trip home was a chiropractic nightmare! You want a cardio workout? Try juggling two shopping bags of soft fruit and bread with two bags of hard fruit AND balance an umbrella!

Still, it was good pickings. I really like avocados. I like guacamole, and the Indonesian milkshake Apulcat, as well as the fruit in wedges. They are quite expensive so I’ve never had the pleasure of having too many at once. Today, I had one with the dregs of rojak sauce (I did tell you that the rojak lady sells at this night market too!), one with Tabasco (I was tuned in to this style of eating avocados by my ex-Publisher, Faridah Stephens. This is someone I admire a lot. Real Publishers should be able to write and she does still!), and one more with Lea & Perrins. This last one was the bomb! I think it even tops Tabasco and avocado.

I’m going to bed with the lovely knowledge that there will be 17 more avocados to enjoy in the coming days. Oh! Make that 16. One was bad. I TOLD you the guy had integrity issues!