It's one I've not been to before, but generally stalls, people are pretty much the same.
But one thing that's definitely caught up with the times. The use of styrofoam and plastics.
People sitting at the makeshift tables slurping up their bowls of beef soup. Well meaning stall keepers offering you bag after bag of plastic so your cloth bag doesn't get wet - ???
Styro plastic gado gado anyone? By the way, I did have one of that. Aside from the damage I've done to ME (Ma Earth), I've also done myself damage, the sauce tasted burnt and I've got some nasty heartburn from it. Serves me right.
On the upside, I loved the warm tempe wrapped in banana leaf held tight with a little lidi stick. Loved that the vegetables I bought didn't have those plastic stickers holding them together which pulls off the vegetables as well when you pull the sticker off. Loved that I wasn't forced into bringing home unnecessary packaging that most supermarkets and hypermarts use on their fruit and vegetables. Loved that the vegetables are fresh. They have to be. They don't have the ill fate of having to sit in an air conditioned environment to preserve them while travelling long distances and negotiations and packaging.
Just back to good ol' shopping. I'm lucky.
I love pasar malams, and in PJ I see more and more people bringing their own shopping baskets and bags, food takeaway containers and tiffin carriers, which is an encouraging trend even though there is still a lot of waste generated, e.g. from styrofoam "fishnet stockings" for pears and soft fruits.
ReplyDeleteI am also concerned over the diesel-powered generators for the lights and machinery. At least the morning markets do not need artificial lighting.