The Market

The Market which my family goes to is a typical open air market in Mumbai. My host grandfather goes there almost every day and he has taken me a couple of times. The market sells fish, lamb (mutton), chicken, fruits and vegtables. But this isn't your normal kind of supermarket which you get in Canada. The fish is sitting out dead on a piece of plywood in front of a lady who cuts it, and guts it in front of you. The second time we went we bought crabs which were live in a big basket and the crab lady would rip off the claws in front of you, needless to say she got bitten a few times. While watching a couple crabs ran away and tried to defend themselves against the stall keeps foot and hand combo attack That was a sight. The lamb is not sliced into nice chops or ribs, the carcas is hanging from strings and they are arranged in order as to which way it was killed according to religious practise. The chickens are not in a sealed package all deboned and skinned, they are alive waiting to be killed in front of you. You pick the live chicken you want and take home a dead bird. Then there are the vegtables which are not quite as out of the ordinary, they are sitting large stalls waiting to be picked up and taken home for a price which is bargained for. If you can imagine any of the sights and smells of China Town this is 100 times more overwhelming. The people are all trying to get your attention making noise of any sort and while this is happening you are watching your pockets for pickpockets, stepping over cats who are scavenging for fish remains, watching all the crows fly over head (who ocassionally steal the odd fish and may leak a little of whatever they have been standing in on you), and to add to all the visual and auditory senses there is the most pungent smell that I will never begin to comprehend what it is. Probably a combination of all the products with a dash of body odor and dead fish. When we do buy something the stall keep may give me a toothless grin or may just count the money. This is more overwhelming than Dadar station (which I will get into on another post) and most Mumbai streets.