The weather has been awful, or I'd be out taking more pictures...apologies for that lack. The weather gods gave us nothing yesterday, which didn't stop these hardy souls above from visiting the butcher in the market, but today dawned gloriously. Grocery list in hand, we headed into town to push and shove our way through the World of Vendors.
The Cabbage Queen.
Away from the crowd, man to man chat.
The family is ready to roll.
Fresh every morning.
There's nobody pickier than a Taiwanese housewife sorting through a pile of produce.
The garlic truck was surprisingly lonely today.
Treats for new year.
I never stopped being amazed by the ability of even the smallest towns to generate swarms of people. People just poured into the market, and none seemed to leave.
Another round of fried foods laid out for customers.
Hard bargains for a happy holiday.
Dried mushrooms, perhaps from nearby Hsinshe.
The Crowd.
The Candyman.
Salesgirls Gone Wild.
Row after row of motorcycles.
Faces in a Crowd.
The old ladies often have great prices.
Wax apples, one of my favorite fruits.
Prepared chicken makes a great quick lunch.
Loud marketing methods.
The crowds swell and swell.
A woman has a sharp word for a motorcycle driving too fast.
"How much did you want, ma'am?"
Home grown veggies.
Sea slugs, for a high class new year celebration.
The thousand yard stare.
A vendor always has time for a chat.
Ma and Siew look down on town. Note that the first line says they will not sell out Taiwan -- a common accusation against Ma -- while the second promises retirement pensions for farmers.
Dickering over envelopes.
The remains of the day.
Guess who's coming to dinner?
[Taiwan]
"We won't sell out Taiwan, but we will sell fruit out of Taiwan."
ReplyDeleteMa will take every opportunity to remind Taiwan of the economic opportunities discarded by the CSB administration out of political extremism.
I love the second half of that slogan from Ma and Xiao -- "we won't sell out Taiwan ... but we definitely will sell Taiwanese fruit!" (it's much catchier in Chinese.)
ReplyDeleteI think the solitude of the garlic truck has something to do with the fact that 蒜 sounds like 算.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year... now where are the damn red packets?! ;P
Ma will take every opportunity to remind Taiwan of the economic opportunities discarded by the CSB administration out of political extremism.
ReplyDeleteYes, with only US$200 billion in investment there, and being the #2 exporter to China, it's clear Taiwan simply hasn't exploited the economic opportunities. Silly Chen administration! We could be selling fruit there for .... what was it? 1/10 of 1% of our exports? Or about the same revenues as our lettuce exports to Japan.....
If only you weren't so servile, cctang, you'd have actually looked up the figures, like I did last year, to find out about fruit exports. But you'd rather serve China than the truth. There's a sucker born every minute....
Michael
Just for the record, let me add that my amusement about their slogan in no way implies agreement with its broader significance.
ReplyDeleteMore of Ma's nonsense and oversimplification.
ReplyDeleteWorth reminding:
http://english.www.gov.tw/TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=10&recordid=101603
Great pics -
ReplyDeleteYeah, I like the wax apples myself, something you cannot find in Japan...plenty of fruits in Taiwan that never make it to Kyushu...
Yeah, good one, Marc. Here's the link: China falsely labels Pirate Fruit
ReplyDeleteMichael
Now I know why my mainlander classmates say that fruits from Taiwan are overrated and think that the market is only importing them for policy's sake.
ReplyDelete