Traditional Market

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Traditional Market

Recently I was lucky enough to venture through a traditional market here in Daejeon. It was actually by a mere mistake that my mate Jessica and I found this treasure within the city. We were on our way to the famous Zooland that we have heard so much about, however, as usual we got a tad bit lost. I think our inner campus has dimmed as we can never find where we want to go in an efficient way. If anything I feel this is a great gift because we are able to find places such as this. Off of the main street there were numerous people sitting on the sidewalk or with wagons selling their fresh goods. The fruit here is absolutely incredible. Everything is so fresh as if it was just picked that day and you have that smell that the fruit in a grocery store is missing. The size of the fruit is not what I am used to seeing. A peach is the size of a baby's head. I remember going into grocery stores back in Canada thinking that this fruit was so big, but then remembering that they must have used many chemicals to get them this size. This fruit is even larger, however, fresh. In season at the moment are apples, peaches and grapes. The vegetables are also something worth mentioning. The bundles of cabbage are mouth watering and you know that it will be made into a delicious kimchi dish. Along this street you have your vendors on one side and the other side consists of many small shops that sell and fix various lawn care equipment. As you are enjoying the fruit aroma you will randomly get a whiff of gas from a weed whacker that some man is trying to fix. If you continue on your walk through the market you find the area where the fish is sold. The variety of fish sold is hard to believe. You even get your stingrays at the market. Any meat you buy is cut and packaged for you on the spot. If I was back in Canada my first thought would be how unsanitary a market such as this is to keep fresh meat out in the open in the heat. This is the culture here and everything is sold at a considerably fast rate. I would have thought the fish smell would have turned me away but I found it very inviting. There are spices galore in the market and you massive bags of chilli peppers that you take home to dry out and then get the seeds out. By drying the peppers out you get a more potent taste hence why everything is so spicy here.

Taking in this sight and environment is something I will not soon forget. All of the individuals in the market were very nice with their big smiles and attempts to say hello. With all the colourful umbrellas overhead and the very crammed space it was a very inviting place. It is the places such as these that make you truly appreciate the beauty of the culture.

- C -

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