Geylang Serai Temporary Market

Some people are proud to label themselves carnivores, some herbivores and then there are those who worship all things that swim in the ocean.

Now if you ask me which category I belong in, I will have a hard time choosing. I eat anything and everything. Okay maybe not everything. I don't fancy eating tarantulas (heard that they sell them whole in the Philippines) or scorpions.

Perhaps I'm just someone with a sweet tooth. Pile onto my desk lots of chocolates, pastries and cake and I'll be grinning from ear to ear.

But again, I cannot live on sugar alone - it's really not that great an idea. Yes I can have dessert for main course but hey we all must eat in moderation.

Whatever it is, it's always fascinating when I enter a market, supermarket, food court, restaurant, kitchen, eatery, cafe... etc..

Why fascinating? That's because I see the entity that food creates. It's an epitome of a human culture/tradition/language. It's nothing new - this passion I have for food. I'm naturally inquisitive and love to explore.

So when Dad wanted to go to the wet market the other day to buy fish, I enthusiastically jumped off my swivel chair and ran after him asking him to take me along. We rode to Geylang Serai Temporary Market and I had a whale of a time going from stall to stall checking out the fresh seafood and stuff.

Now now, it's not that I've never seen a wet market before! Just that it's been too long since I've accompanied my parents to a typical marketing trip. Nowadays when I have to buy groceries, I go to the supermarket. I got to admit that it's different somehow. The experience is not the same as you going down the wet and smelly isles at the wet market, prodding and checking out the fishes, getting down and dirty.

Okay, it wasn't really dirty, but just not as squeaky clean as NTUC, Cold Storage or Carrefour.

I know I know. I hear a resounding "DUH!"

hahaaaaa....

My point really, is to give my side of this part of the island where I really like. Given a choice, I would love to shop at wet markets, period. Oh well but you know, there's a chance that I might be ripped off (seeing how I don't really speak any dialect and my mandarin is borderline... oh and I can't speak Malay!) due to my pathetic language skills. My English might be good but gosh, if only I'm as talented as Daniel Tammet, an autistic savant who can master a new language in a week.

Anyway, here are some snapshots I took. I have alot but am having some troubles posting alot of photos on Blogger so bear with me.

Here are some live cockles:



They were pretty big all right and very much alive.

Here's some shellfish. I can't remeber the name though! But they look so much like snails...



And some black gold! These are the Indonesian black nuts used in Ayam Buah Keluak. Like I've mentioned before, it's really an acquired taste.



Dad said that these calamari were really fresh and that I should always buy them only if they are of this colour and freshness:



I like calamari and seeing them in this form was hmmm interesting? Not as if I've not seen them before. But I think more often than not, when I meet them, they are already on my table, sliced and fried, ready to be dipped into tartar sauce :)

OH now, the highlight of that market trip had more to do with rice and chicken than with fish. Haha, I mentioned to Dad about some Nasi Briyani place that was quite well known at this market but he wanted to bring me to his favourite and boy was I glad he did!

First of all, the rice. Yummm... it was deliciously light and fluffed up so nice. Loved the big pot:



Hehe, this lady knows what she's doing. For their Nasi Briyani, the rice goes over the chicken not vice versa. Here's how it looks like close up:



There's also a bowl of assam curry gravy. It was nice but there was a tad too much assam, making it too sourish. Other than that, the chicken was good and the portion generous. Tearing easily, the flesh was tasty and tender.

In case you're wondering, it costs just $3 and here's a snapshot of the stall:



They have mutton briyani too. I love this market. There's this nasi padang stall that I dig too. But more about that another time.

And I know I haven't been updating regularly! Have been trying to figure out why my photos don't get uploaded. If you know why, drop me an email? Thanks!

I've so much to post.... stay tuned now my patient readers :)