At the Wet Market

Today I took my first trip to the Wet Market. For those of you who do not know, this is a food market where raw ingredients of many varieties can be purchased. I didn't have the courage to take pictures, so if you want visual aids, you'll have to check google images.  I had heard from one Texan living in Shanghai that she became a vegetarian after her first and only visit to a wet market.  I was preparing myself mentally for what I might see. I figured that my frequent trips to the local supermarket were a good warm-up. I've already seen rows of chicken feet and even visited the space where the butcher works in one of our local grocery stores. This is pretty big for "Little Miss I Like My Meat Packaged." Even so, I almost 'chickened' out at the last minute. Thankfully, the shuttle dropped me off near the front of the market, where grains and oils were being sold. Nothing stomach churning there. After buying some sunflower oil., I headed toward the back of the market. It was easy for me to walk past the small pools of fish flopping around, as I wouldn't consider any of these creatures as a potential meal. Harder was going past the poultry coops. Many of the vendors where showing me big beautiful birds, no doubt thinking it would make a lovely dinner for my family. I saw a variety of tofu and eggs and many things I didn't recognize. Finally, I made my way to the produce area, where I had fun miming with one of the vendors. She kept showing me her best produce, but the first 3 things she showed me were not foods I recognized, and therefore did not know how to prepare. She ended up selling me some green peppers and also some chestnuts that I hope to roast.