Some things in our Lives will certainly be wash off by Time.
I always believe in a chinese saying : 时间不留人. Call Time cruel, ripping our age year by year. This causes things around us, come and go. Leaving us so helpless... Forcing us to learn from the past, treasure whatever we have or we can have.
I was listening to Capitol 95.8FM during dinner today. It was a discussion session over the air, and their subject was "Wet Market". That really makes me remember the presence of those neighbourhood wet market and their current status.
I still can recall when I was 4 or 5 years old, I always follow my grandma down the market 500m away my house. Chicken were fresh, fishes lying there ready for scale-removal process, plently other shops that sell stuffs for your everyday use. These markets were always wet and slippery, you always make sure you wear the lousiest slippers down there. As meats, dry stocks, veggies were left in the open without any chilling devices, the smell was unbearable for many. But this is your grandparents or parents favourite morning hang out place!
Walking down the old spiral staircases with your wet red plastic bags, my grandma will ask me,"Carrot cake for lunch? Or Fishball noodle?" It is so convenient that it houses everything you need under one roof! That brings tons of memories back for people born in the early 80s.
Such a convenient place will definately attract lots shoppers right? But Time isn't gonna let it get it way. Though GOVt has been very kind to upgrade all wet markets, attempting to make it less "wet" with better stain-resistance tiles, better drainage system, strict cleanliness routine, Wet Market is still losing it's stand in Gen-Y people (on the verge of married, babies producing machines) Why?
- Who wants to wake up early morning to buy grocery? (As it stop biz around 1pm)
- Prices at markets are usually like shares market
- You don't earn LinK-pts buying from market.
- You need to see the fishmonger's mood to get a fresh fish
- Any reasons I've miss out?
Blame no one, I thought. Imagining the future of those stall-holders, I feel pity as things snow-balling soon.
Our 8am - 5pm work time - leading to lesser biz for wet markets - slowly wet markets got lesser - cutting the numbers of stall-holders - job losts.
This is one chain reaction which I struggles to figure out the remedy. But meanwhile, I'll do what I can to collect more memories of the wet markets, starting by visiting my nearest wet market for breakfast, during my off-days.
