The Market

Mum goes to the market almost every day. I follow her sometimes and I can see that there are many things that we can buy - fish, meat, vegetable, fruits, sauces, and my favorite tau huay zui. And among each category, there are many types. For example, in the vegetable store, there are caixin, kangkong, cabbage, broccolli, tomato, chilli, etc. Some I like, some I don't. Some I eat them often, others I eat to maintain a balanced diet. Some are more expensive (on weight basis) than the others. Some have irregular prices. Some are not always available. Some are not selling that well. Most times, I buy what I like to eat. Mum, on the other hand, buys what she feels is the smartest buy of the day.

I remember that once there was a pesticide scare, and people started to abandon the vegetables. Prices were very low, but nobody wanted them. There was another incidence where the pigs were infected with some kind of disease, supply went down and prices went up significantly. Yet another time, chicken and ducks were affected. Luckily, life goes on after that, and we don't get malnutrition without eating ducks for 2 months. Thank goodness.

What I am so impressed with Mum is that she knows the price of the things sold. She knows whether the pomfret costs more than what it was selling for yesterday, the day before and 2 weeks ago. To some extent, she can even predict the price movements - whether it is going up, coming down, going to go up or going to come down. She said that the most predictable time is around Chinese New Year. I didn't bother to understand for I buy what I want to eat. Mum warns "tomorrow there won't be tomatoes for you!" I think I can live with that for a while.

The Market is really an amazing place.