Although I have not been to Asia or a market such as this, your descriptions of the produce, meat and fish awakened my senses and made me feel like I was right there.
"It was gruesome, but I’m not a vegetarian, and I think it’s good to come face-to-face with the stark reality of what it means to eat meat."
I love this sentence because I agree with it so much. Seeing an animal butchered up close is never easy or pleasant, but it's honest, and if you're shoppping or eating there, it gives you a connection with your food. Last summer I spent three weeks traveling throughout Mongolia and one place we stayed (a ger---Mongolian yurt---camp) dispatched the sheep and goats they served up in their two table "restaurant" just a few feet from the front door, with the meat stacked up on a table in the corner. I saw two goats meet their end right before dinner, and the next night, they were on the plate.
Thanks for the piece. The writing really animates the scene and---as a veteran spelunker of A LOT of Asian wet markets---I could especially feel and smell the meat section of Khlong Toei. Which makes me want to rant about all of the Western scorn poured upon "wet markets" in the wake of COVID, when they're often the most vital and interesting part of any place you visit in this (I'm in Korea) part of the world.
In fact, wherever I visit, I make it a point to head to the local market straight away. You see exactly what the local people are eating, how they're interacting, and what makes the community tick. There is no better barometer to get to know the temperature and feel of a place than the local traditional market, in my estimation.
It's nuts that you posted this because I have had the exact same idea in the queue for my Substack pieces: a post on my love of markets. And this love also starts with Pike Place, as I grew up near Seattle and lived there for a decade, and even worked in the market for some time (yes, I threw fish). It remains my favorite spot in the city, and even though it is a tourist draw, plenty of locals still get their meat, produce, and especially seafood there. You can really see Seattle's old-school spirit at work at Pike Place.
Hey Chris, Thanks for all of the kind words. High praise coming from you. I continue to love Pike Place, as touristy as it is. For my first few years in Seattle it was kind of my touchstone -- I'd visit there and savor the atmosphere just to prove I really did live there now!
As for the scorn heaped on wet markets, it stems from the same scorn heaped on so many places for being "dirty" or "unsafe." As if American factory farms aren't cesspools of unsanitary misery. The longer I travel and the more places I see and get to know (at least a little bit) the more umbrage I take at the distaste they are viewed by so many.
Interesting you mention Mongolia. Mel Jouwan of Strong Sense of Place (great book podcast tied into travel) and I were just chatting about her intense desire to visit there. I have to say I haven't given it much thought, which means it would probably be a great experience as my expectations would be very few.
It's funny how long I was kicking around the market piece! It's one of those "timeless" pieces that I really wanted to write, but there wasn't much urgency and always something else needing to be finished!
Mongolia is amazing... just endless sky, seas of herd animals, and raw nature, with friendly people who are at once tough and as sweet and gentle as it gets. It's only three and a half hours from Korea so I'll definitely be back. The food isn't for the faint of heart, though, haha.
I did a 10-part series on my travels there on my Substack called "Across the Steppe" (which is how I basically launched this thing) so feel free to check a few of those out if you're curious about Mongolia on the ground. It's long-form travelogue, which is really I how like to write, but not what anyone seems to want to publish anymore. I suppose that's what blogs are for ;). Great to connect.
I actually have read a bit of them! We just settled down in Olso after two weeks of checking out with a Virgin Voyage cruise is like. So naturally I'm now swamped with work, but I'll definitely bookmark it to go back and check out later.
So yeah, I felt you read my mind and beat me to it, haha. That said, my market piece will be a bit different in tone and aside from Pike Place, location, though I can only hope I can maintain your attention to detail that brings this thing alive.
Wow, that was an awesome piece of writing, Michael. Thank you for giving us the unsanitized version of what it's like to walk through a Thai market -- the full spectrum of humanity, creatures, and sensory input! I've been to smaller markets in Chiang Mai and northern Thailand and your writing brought me back to everything I loved and also felt aversion to in those markets.
This was fantastic. I would love to visit this market, bookmarked it for when I go to Thailand in the future.
I always assumed it was called a wet market just because live animals were there - didn't think about the ice or how much washing away they had to do.
Loved your comment about the women who didn't seem to sweat. I often notice that when I travel, I'm bathed in sweat but the locals are so accustomed to home settings, they operate differently.
This is fantastic. Thank you for sharing your memories! I'm very curious about how I'd do in a market in Bangkok or Lagos. I'm attracted to the romance, otherworldliness, and bustle of it — but I'm a big introvert, so... I'd at least need an epic nap afterward.
Dave and I went to Paris when Obama was running for president. We stopped in a neighborhood market for produce and snacks. Bought some fantastic deep-fried bits and bobs from a lovely African woman. She looked at us, heard our not-very-good French, and said, 'America?' We said yes, and she gave us a big smile then shouted, YES WE CAN. It was a lovely interaction.
What a lovely story! I hope she hasn't been crushed by, well, everything since then. Yeah, the markets can be intense. Get me some street food, head home, and have that nap!
Your best writing evah! Maybe because I grew up on a produce farm and spent my entire childhood selling produce at the farmer’s market.
I wouldn’t make it through the meat/animal section of this market without throwing up for more than one reason! That said I liked seeing it through your eyes. And the prize winning photos… the best!
I love markets! I see them as the great democratizers. Wherever you are in the world, no matter how foreign it all seems, one of the first sites of exchange, of communication with a local, happens in a market. They have meat. I want meat. I soon learn to say "I want meat," to count, to use local sign language for numbers. The farmers can seem like they're from an entirely different world, one that exists in a different time, yet our worlds come together in the present.
Wherever I travel, I seek out markets. I remember the first time I went to a Chinese wet market...that's a shock to the senses!
Oh my goodness, yes. I love markets. From my own experience, they communicated with their mothers, siblings, companions, and babies. Poor things. I used to have to help find, raise, beat, kill, skin, cut up/sort their bones and private parts, then freeze them. I apologize to them now whenever I pass another who has met this fate. 🙏🏼🙏🏼 I do think everyone who eats other individuals should definitely handle the whole process themselves. I think it's the only way to know the entire reality of what we choose. Or we can read The China Study for the science, because the impact on our bodies, too, is a tough one, for sure.
I don't know if I love your writing or the images more... I feel like I'm with you every step of the way. Thank you for never disappointing!
Such evocative writing, it felt like we were walking along with you and seeing everything
agreed! I was absolutely swept up in the journey
Thanks! Love that you enjoyed it so much!
Thank you very much!
Love this article.
Although I have not been to Asia or a market such as this, your descriptions of the produce, meat and fish awakened my senses and made me feel like I was right there.
Well done!
Thank you so much!
I loved this! Got to see so many markets on my recent Mexico trip
Thanks! And, yes, Mexico has many great markets. I remember one I saw years ago in Guadalajara!
That’s where my grandma is from! Awesome
Verrrrry interesting, but it does push me more towards becoming a vegetarian.
100% get that!
"It was gruesome, but I’m not a vegetarian, and I think it’s good to come face-to-face with the stark reality of what it means to eat meat."
I love this sentence because I agree with it so much. Seeing an animal butchered up close is never easy or pleasant, but it's honest, and if you're shoppping or eating there, it gives you a connection with your food. Last summer I spent three weeks traveling throughout Mongolia and one place we stayed (a ger---Mongolian yurt---camp) dispatched the sheep and goats they served up in their two table "restaurant" just a few feet from the front door, with the meat stacked up on a table in the corner. I saw two goats meet their end right before dinner, and the next night, they were on the plate.
Thanks for the piece. The writing really animates the scene and---as a veteran spelunker of A LOT of Asian wet markets---I could especially feel and smell the meat section of Khlong Toei. Which makes me want to rant about all of the Western scorn poured upon "wet markets" in the wake of COVID, when they're often the most vital and interesting part of any place you visit in this (I'm in Korea) part of the world.
In fact, wherever I visit, I make it a point to head to the local market straight away. You see exactly what the local people are eating, how they're interacting, and what makes the community tick. There is no better barometer to get to know the temperature and feel of a place than the local traditional market, in my estimation.
It's nuts that you posted this because I have had the exact same idea in the queue for my Substack pieces: a post on my love of markets. And this love also starts with Pike Place, as I grew up near Seattle and lived there for a decade, and even worked in the market for some time (yes, I threw fish). It remains my favorite spot in the city, and even though it is a tourist draw, plenty of locals still get their meat, produce, and especially seafood there. You can really see Seattle's old-school spirit at work at Pike Place.
Hey Chris, Thanks for all of the kind words. High praise coming from you. I continue to love Pike Place, as touristy as it is. For my first few years in Seattle it was kind of my touchstone -- I'd visit there and savor the atmosphere just to prove I really did live there now!
As for the scorn heaped on wet markets, it stems from the same scorn heaped on so many places for being "dirty" or "unsafe." As if American factory farms aren't cesspools of unsanitary misery. The longer I travel and the more places I see and get to know (at least a little bit) the more umbrage I take at the distaste they are viewed by so many.
Interesting you mention Mongolia. Mel Jouwan of Strong Sense of Place (great book podcast tied into travel) and I were just chatting about her intense desire to visit there. I have to say I haven't given it much thought, which means it would probably be a great experience as my expectations would be very few.
It's funny how long I was kicking around the market piece! It's one of those "timeless" pieces that I really wanted to write, but there wasn't much urgency and always something else needing to be finished!
Mongolia is amazing... just endless sky, seas of herd animals, and raw nature, with friendly people who are at once tough and as sweet and gentle as it gets. It's only three and a half hours from Korea so I'll definitely be back. The food isn't for the faint of heart, though, haha.
Yeah, the food is exactly what we were discussing. I'm not sure I'm ready for yak milk... But I suppose I need to add Mongolia to the list.
I did a 10-part series on my travels there on my Substack called "Across the Steppe" (which is how I basically launched this thing) so feel free to check a few of those out if you're curious about Mongolia on the ground. It's long-form travelogue, which is really I how like to write, but not what anyone seems to want to publish anymore. I suppose that's what blogs are for ;). Great to connect.
I actually have read a bit of them! We just settled down in Olso after two weeks of checking out with a Virgin Voyage cruise is like. So naturally I'm now swamped with work, but I'll definitely bookmark it to go back and check out later.
Oslo? Sweet! Enjoy the midnight sun and I'm looking forward your missives.
So yeah, I felt you read my mind and beat me to it, haha. That said, my market piece will be a bit different in tone and aside from Pike Place, location, though I can only hope I can maintain your attention to detail that brings this thing alive.
Cheers!
Such wonderful colorful pictures
Thanks!
Wow, that was an awesome piece of writing, Michael. Thank you for giving us the unsanitized version of what it's like to walk through a Thai market -- the full spectrum of humanity, creatures, and sensory input! I've been to smaller markets in Chiang Mai and northern Thailand and your writing brought me back to everything I loved and also felt aversion to in those markets.
Thank you so much!
So much of a country, city or locale can be seen just by walking through its markets and perusing its gardens. Never a dull moment either way ❤
100% true!
This was fantastic. I would love to visit this market, bookmarked it for when I go to Thailand in the future.
I always assumed it was called a wet market just because live animals were there - didn't think about the ice or how much washing away they had to do.
Loved your comment about the women who didn't seem to sweat. I often notice that when I travel, I'm bathed in sweat but the locals are so accustomed to home settings, they operate differently.
I thought the same thing about it being wet but did some research and nope! Glad you enjoyed reading it!
This is fantastic. Thank you for sharing your memories! I'm very curious about how I'd do in a market in Bangkok or Lagos. I'm attracted to the romance, otherworldliness, and bustle of it — but I'm a big introvert, so... I'd at least need an epic nap afterward.
Dave and I went to Paris when Obama was running for president. We stopped in a neighborhood market for produce and snacks. Bought some fantastic deep-fried bits and bobs from a lovely African woman. She looked at us, heard our not-very-good French, and said, 'America?' We said yes, and she gave us a big smile then shouted, YES WE CAN. It was a lovely interaction.
What a lovely story! I hope she hasn't been crushed by, well, everything since then. Yeah, the markets can be intense. Get me some street food, head home, and have that nap!
Your best writing evah! Maybe because I grew up on a produce farm and spent my entire childhood selling produce at the farmer’s market.
I wouldn’t make it through the meat/animal section of this market without throwing up for more than one reason! That said I liked seeing it through your eyes. And the prize winning photos… the best!
Thank you, Tess. And I 100% respect not wanting to see the meat section.
As someone from South East Asia (and casual market buyer!), I’m really happy to read this. Thank you for writing this😊.
Thank you! And thanks for reading it!
I love markets! I see them as the great democratizers. Wherever you are in the world, no matter how foreign it all seems, one of the first sites of exchange, of communication with a local, happens in a market. They have meat. I want meat. I soon learn to say "I want meat," to count, to use local sign language for numbers. The farmers can seem like they're from an entirely different world, one that exists in a different time, yet our worlds come together in the present.
Wherever I travel, I seek out markets. I remember the first time I went to a Chinese wet market...that's a shock to the senses!
I imagine the Chinese markets are an entirely other level. And the 'Great democratizer' -- Love that! Wish I'd thought of it!
Oh my goodness, yes. I love markets. From my own experience, they communicated with their mothers, siblings, companions, and babies. Poor things. I used to have to help find, raise, beat, kill, skin, cut up/sort their bones and private parts, then freeze them. I apologize to them now whenever I pass another who has met this fate. 🙏🏼🙏🏼 I do think everyone who eats other individuals should definitely handle the whole process themselves. I think it's the only way to know the entire reality of what we choose. Or we can read The China Study for the science, because the impact on our bodies, too, is a tough one, for sure.
Fantastic display and description of sooo many markets! Loved it!
Thank you so much!