Sunday Market Trip

In the picture, a grandmother and a child are buying vegetables at a wet market. The stalls on both sides are filled with fresh produce arranged in trays, and a stallholder is standing behind the vegetables. The child is holding a red plastic bag, so she is helping to carry what they have already bought. What I also noticed is that the grandmother is picking up the vegetables to examine them, which is something you cannot do when shopping online.

I go to the wet market with my grandmother on Sunday mornings. She always visits the same fish stall, where the uncle sets aside the fish she likes before she even asks, and she has taught me to check the eyes and gills to tell whether it is fresh. My job is to carry the heavier bags and to remind her what is still on the list. Afterwards we always eat you tiao and soya bean at the stall near the entrance, which is honestly the part I look forward to.

Yes, I feel they are still important. Wet markets usually have fresher produce and cheaper prices than supermarkets, and you can buy exactly the amount you need instead of a fixed packet. They are also part of how our neighbourhoods work, since many elderly residents have known their stallholders for years and the morning trip is a social routine as much as a shopping one. I understand that supermarkets are more convenient for busy families, however I feel Singapore would lose something real if wet markets disappeared.