Why I Love Wet Markets (Now)

Wet Market [wet mahr-kit]: A market that sells perishable foods...[and] can be found around the world, but are especially common in China and Southeast Asia... The wet in wet market refers to the melting ice used to preserve fresh meats or the water used to clean their foods or hose down a store.  {see dictionary.com)

The term "wet market" gained international prominence when China officials revealed that the corona virus could have originated from a wet market in Wuhan, China. And it is possible because have you been to a wet market? It is literally wet (don't wear shoes with lousy grip...you've been warned), noisy, chaotic, and the smell of raw meat permeates the air. 

Little wonder I HATED going to the wet market as a young girl. Sellers and buyers shouted to be heard. Butchers chopped off heads and cleared out innards (albeit with deft strokes of the cleaver). Flies landed on the displayed vegetables and fruits. The crowds, especially on Saturday mornings, clustered in swarms. There seemed to be no organisation as to where the stores were assigned. The pork stall could be situated next to a stall selling seafood, which in turn was next to a stall selling vegetables, and that stall was next to the poultry store, that was also the neighbour of another pork  stall, not to be confused with the halal stores that had to be situated somewhere else, and don't forget the fruits stall or the other vegetable stall, etc. How anyone navigated the wet market was beyond me.

Seafood in all its display glory. Customers can inspect and choose their meats, instead of buying it pre-packaged. But you must ignore that it will never pass the hygiene code in some countries (see postscript at bottom of post).

And so for years, I never stepped into a wet market unless forced to by my parents. When I moved to the States, I didn't even think to look up if there was something similar. (FYI, farmers' markets are nothing like wet markets. They share a few principles, but have different "vibes" and purposes.) 

Part of the vegetable store from my neighbourhood's wet market. 

But what's the saying -- absence makes the heart grow fonder? Or perhaps because I'm a product of my time, and given current discussions about race and colonialism, I've grown to treasure my heritage and culture. Or maybe my "liberal graduate school education" taught me to boycott large, evil supermarket corporations, and start patronising smaller local businesses.  

Whatever the case, I found myself embracing the wet market when I moved back. It helped that the market near my home (Sembawang Koufu) is not the same one I went to as a girl (Chong Pang wet market). This one is smaller (so fewer people), better lit, calmer, and is "drier"...or at least as "dry" as a "wet market" can be.😁

Going to the wet market now is a refreshing experience. I can touch, smell (sans mask of course) and examine my food. I can select the produce I want, and only buy whatever quantity I need. I can explore the abundant variety on display, and be exposed to food I've never seen before.

Clockwise from L to R: that mean-looking monster is galangal; 😙baby brinjal (or eggplant); young ginger with sprouts.

Still figuring out what this is used for. 

You don't get the same connection to food at the supermarkets or when buying groceries online.

It's also at the wet market that you get to know the people who handle and sell you your food. True conversation with my mom:

Me: Wah! That chicken stall seller is not very nice.

Mom: Was it the wife who served you?

Me: Yes! How did you know it was the wife?

Mom: Of course I know. She is quite rude. But the husband is quite friendly. I still wish there was another chicken stall though. 

Cheap spices galore! Also, in case anyone is wondering, gerago is really "geragau" (krill). It is an essential ingredient in sambal belacan. See https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2013-06-26_105819.html. (I didn't know either!)

And of course, my mom found our family's favourite fruit store at this wet market. I'm convinced we are one of his VIP customers because our fruits are excellent, and he always introduces us to new fruit. Plus my mom spends a lot of money there...😅. 

Don't be fooled by how tepid this store looks. This is a hidden gem!

So does this mean bye-bye to supermarkets? Heck no! Nothing will beat its one-stop-shop convenience, "western food" ingredients, much-needed canned goods and snacks, and most importantly, the AIR CON(DITIONING). Supermarkets have their purpose and place. So does online grocery shopping.  However, I'm now much more incline to buy from the wet market first, before going to the supermarket.

It is still strange to me how this about-face came about. How does one go from hating the chaos to loving it? I don't know. A yearning to return to my roots? An awakening of one's true self? A desire for greater connection to my environment in this time of isolation? Meh, who knows. At this point, it doesn't matter. I'm just excited to get better acquainted with the ingredients and cuisine from my region of the world, and the wet market is the first and great place to start.

Be safe everyone, and don't forget your mask!

P.S. Before anyone is grossed out by the "supposedly" unhygienic standards of wet markets, keep in mind that 1) we wash our food before we eat them, and 2) traditional Asian recipes (at least the Chinese) always cook everything, and often at high temperatures. The closest thing to raw food is pickled or salted vegetables. Food such as sashimi are rare, while the Laos/ Thai green papaya salad uses chilli, spices, and lime to flavour and "cleanse" the dish. 

It is time to really DO SOMETHING MORE

It has been two and half years since I came back to Singapore. Moving back was tough, but on hindsight, this was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Not only did it bring me much-needed healing from academia, it also gave me another perspective to examine American politics and society.

I'm aware that my moderate-liberal leanings still colour my perspective, but the literal geographic distance has helped me see things from a larger lens as I'm not directly affected by immediate events in the United States.

When news of the George Floyd tragedy broke, I must confess that I felt partly-sad, partly-angry, and (don't hate me) partly-numb. It's not that I'm unsympathetic; it's just that George Floyd isn't the first innocent black man to be wrongfully killed due to excessive police violence. A quick google shoot will reveal the frequency that such incidents have occurred in the past few years alone. In fact, a common pattern emerges from such arrests:

Black person is (likely to be unfairly) arrested --> Police uses unnecessary, excessive force to hold down person --> accidentally or intentionally kills the arrested --> news spread --> flurry of postings on social media expressing opinions --> outrage and protests (sometimes leading to arrest of police officers) --> violence and looting --> (if police officers are acquitted --> even more protest and violence -->) people become disillusioned with the chaos --> then exhausted with subject and move on to the "next big thing" --> peace for a period --> cycle repeats. 

We've seen this cycle since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s (and before!), only now we have the privilege of recording and circulating these instances with greater ease #technologyrockswhenitworks I am fully supportive of using social media to spread awareness and effect change, and I'm sincerely glad that the right use of video recordings led to the arrest of the police officers in the George Floyd case, and the cold-blooded murderers of Ahmaud Arbery.

But I also feel that too many of us (I'm indicting myself as well) post our outrage, then pat ourselves on the back and say, "I've done my part. I've shown support for XYZ cause. Moving on now..." And because this happens too often, the cycle continues because society as a whole has not done anything to get to the root of the problem. Too often expressions of opinions and debates are posted on social media, and then left there with no real-life implications or impetus for change.

It doesn't help that (and this is based purely on my imperfect observation) people can't agree on the root cause of the problem, and the debate is strangely divided along political lines: conservatives blame police brutality; liberals, racism. Why is it one or the other, and not both? 😕

Nonetheless, whatever your opinions about why this cycle happens, we can all DO SOMETHING MORE TO SOLVE IT. If you believe this cycle is rooted in racism, fight against racism. If you believe that police brutality left unchecked is the true cause, curb and check police force. If you believe that (insert another reason) is the real reason, do something about it. But don't limit your activism to posting your outrage on social media when another black/ person of minority is wrongfully treated. We can all do more. 

Small and do-able suggestions:

• Catch yourself when you find yourself judging or making assumptions about someone because of their appearance;
• Watch a video (or more) about someone who is a minority in your country, and try to understand their point of view;
• Start a genuine friendship with someone who is of a different race/ religion from you. And if you already have such a friend, make another one;
• Learn about a different culture (I recommend starting with their food 😁);
• Listen to all sides of the debate with an open mind. You might not agree with everything said (there are some articles defending the looters...sorry, I flatly reject them), but it will give you cause to think;
• Vote for political leaders who propose sane and sensible laws that will protect all citizens;
• Vote out political leaders who don't propose sane and sensible laws that will protect all citizens; 
• Educate yourself on your laws and rights, so that you can hold law enforcement officers accountable;
• Require police officers to attend more training to learn how to de-escalate conflicts, and appropriately engage with suspects;
• Thank and recognise law enforcement officers who do their job right and treat everyone fairly;
• Speak up and speak out when someone is bullied or treated unfairly;
• Donate to a cause or charity that is fighting against racial inequality;
• Continue to use social media as a tool to promote the benefits of diversity, and spread awareness of injustice.
• etc... 

It's not hard; it just requires time, effort, and energy, which most of us are not willing to do because it requires more from us.

But until all of us do more, the cycle is going to continue. Not hard to predict at all.

Top 10 Memories of 2019

In no particular order of importance or chronology, here we go (again):

1) I survived being in my job for 2 years already, and added on a new portfolio. I essentially have 2 bosses now. Not sure if it is good or bad haha. But I'm still learning and parts of it is challenging, so I'm still interested in the job.

2) I traveled back to the United States this year...TWICE. I flew premium economy both times since the flights were sooooo long. While it is money worth spent, I felt the painful pinch of money hemorrhaging from my pocket 😭 But on such a long flight, those seats and noise cancelling headphones are EVERYTHING. 😁

So why the United States twice? First, my dad was called as an Area Seventy, and thus I went to April General Conference for that. (FYI the Church only paid for my dad and my mom. No children are invited, so I paid for my own ticket.) Then we swung down to New Mexico to visit my youngest sister and her husband there. I was sick for the days we were in Utah, so that was blah. But I managed to attend the session that my dad was sustained.

New Mexico was fun! Well, not the city. Albuquerque is quite something. I can't stay there in the long term, but it was super fun to spend time with my youngest sister and her husband. Also, COSTCO. I miss that place.

3) The second time we flew to the United States was to attend my other sister's wedding in Nashville, TN in late-October.

My cousin (standing next to me) in Texas managed to join us!

The weather was very cooperative, and only rained after we took photos and traveled to the reception place. The sealing ceremony was lovely, and they had a simple and fun reception. And COSTCO again...I sure miss that place.

4) In August, my other sister (the one living in New Mexico) and her husband had their Singapore wedding reception at Tangs Plaza Marriott. Not sure how the couple felt about it, but it was a fun and exhausting day for me. I sang a duet that poked fun of the couple, and they were good sports about it.

It was my American-born-Chinese (ABC) brother-in-law's first time in Singapore. Very interesting to find out his opinion of Singapore (even if I don't agree with him on everything 😛). My other sister also flew back for the wedding, and all 6 of us squeezed into our HDB flat for a few days. Now that was...something. You really do things only for family that you wouldn't do for others.

5) My Stake re-drew the ward boundaries in late-January. We went from having 10 wards, to only having 4 HUGE family wards, 1 Filipino ward, 1 Mandarin-speaking ward, and 1 newly-created YSA ward! The YSA ward is currently the only one in Asia now. I think they had one in Hong Kong a few years ago, but it closed down after a while. Hopefully the YSA ward in Singapore can sustain itself!

Anyway, my ward is now huge, with about 2/3 local families, and 1/3 expatriate families. This is because my ward encompasses the Singapore American School, where most expat families reside. It is interesting to be in such a ward. Layers of complication. There will always be some tension because each community is used to doing things their own way, but I also know each side is trying their best to adapt.

With the new ward boundaries, I got called as my ward's Young Woman President. I have about 20 active youth, 3/4 of whom are expatriates. My feelings toward my calling yo-yo day-by-day. On one hand, I love my young women, and it is so fun to be with them. They (and their parents) support the activities we plan (you have no idea how important that is!), and I'm also amazed at how powerful their Sunday lessons are. My YW are so talented and capable, and I am so so so blessed to get to know them.

But man! Weekly activities are exhausting, and so is having to attend 7am monthly ward council meetings (urgh!). I'm excited for the new changes to be implemented starting next year when my Young Women will take the lead on more ALL things now.

6) We had another Stake Relief Society convention for the Single Adult sisters in October at Malacca (Malaysia). I have not visited that place in a few years, and I was reminded of how charming that city is. Highly recommend the city to visitors of Southeast Asia (after Singapore of course 😉). The convention was fun too, and all we did was eat, go for a massage, shop, tour Malacca, attend two workshops, socialise, and relax over a weekend.

7) The Church celebrated it's 50th anniversary since it was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel in 1969. The Church organised a few commemorative events, but the most pertinent to me was the Musical History held on 28th September at the Gateway Theatre. I participated in the choir, and we started rehearsals way back in June/July. It was an overall enriching experience that I have no regrets being part of, but let's not do that again for like, 10 years or so, okay?

8) I learned how to knit! It all started when a group of women ("sisters" as we call in the Church) would stay back after church for hours before our 50th Anniversary choir practice. Our Church has an ongoing service project with KK Hospital to crochet beanie hats for pre-mature babies, and we would crochet hats during that waiting period. But a few sisters pointed out that the knitting stitch is actually better for these babies, and so to dah! A weekly knitting class was born. So far I've knitted two adult beanie hats, and am knitting a scarf for my mom. I'm just grateful to the sisters who teach us how to knit for FREE, when such classes normally cost hundreds of dollars. THIS IS THE POWER OF RELIEF SOCIETY.

I made these!

9) President Russell M. Nelson visited Singapore, and I got to be part of that choir as well. It was such a treat, and who knows when a prophet will make a personal visit again? The last time a prophet visited Singapore was President Hinckley in 2000, so not a good track record...

10) Finally, I stuck to the Come Follow Me church curriculum this year, and read the whole New Testament. Woo Hoo!

Happy 2020 from my family to yours!!! May you have a prosperous and blessed year ahead :)