Let’s Go to Gaai1 Si5 La ! – A Trip to Hong Kong Wet Markets Aoife Black
W hat is Gaa i 1 S i 5 ? Dimmed lights, red lampshade, fishy scent, meat-chopping sound, and the soaking floor – they interweave and form swirls of freshness beneath the ceiling’s shaky, rumbling fans. Here you hear people screaming from their throats, with the blaring vibration spiking through your eardrums, “jau6 peng4 jau6 dai2 maai5 lei4 tai2!” (Cheap and fresh! Come and see!) And these overlapping chants echo all over the atmosphere with people pushing against each other’s shoulders. Amidst this chaos, you find a somewhat organised environment with a one-of-a-kind taste of Hongkongness – welcome to wet markets!
Wet markets embedded in my childhood memories, as well as many Hongkongers, were like that. There was a time we all craved to escape from this dampness, noisiness, and crowdedness, and asked our parents “when can we leave!?” Throughout the years, wet markets in Hong Kong have been renovated – air conditioning, re-organised stores and hygiene measures have been implemented to catch up with the hurried footstep of modernised Hong Kong. Hong Kong wet markets have a long history since British colonization. At first, most stalls were set up on the streets and therefore were also called street markets. These markets were not designated areas, instead, they were spaces for hawkers to gather and sell their products. Back in the times, vegetables, poultry, groceries, and other necessities flooded the streets. As time passed, the Urban Council relocated these hawkers due to the hygiene and management issue and hence public markets were established. Although most markets moved into public or private buildings, traditional markets are still scattered around Hong Kong, such as Tai Po Hui Market and Luen Wo Hui Market in the New Territories, Mong Kok Flower Market and Goldfish Street in Kowloon, and Sai Ying Pun Centre Street Market in Hong Kong Island.
A Not-Very-Short Tour of Tai Po Hui Market Tai Po Hui Market is one of the go-to places for CUHK students who want to cook some delicious cuisine or a quick meal in their dormitories. It is only one station away from the campus and therefore saves a lot of time for our hectic, and of course, diligent students. Tai Po Hui Market is located in the Tai Po Complex. It was established near the old markets nearby in 2004, along with a sports centre, a
food centre, and a library in the same building. Located in a gigantic building, Tai Po Hui Market takes up two stories. Your first impression walking in will be the scent of fish and meat (I guarantee). On the left, you sense the wetness of the wet market under blue lights. Here, people in rubber boots and aprons handpick a variety of seafood for you, from oyster to eel, to abalone, and to any seafood you can possibly imagine. (This might be an exaggeration, please narrow down your imagination in case of disappointment when you visit the market!). If you want to get fish, the owners can remove the scales and intestines for you at lightning speed. Note that, and I emphasise, the fish jump out of the tanks all the time, so try not to freak out! On the right side, a scarlet atmosphere would overtake your mind because of the lampshade and the meat. In there, butchers, also known as “professional meat-segmentation technicians”, wave their cleavers and cut out the exact portion of pork you want for dinner. Before COVID, you could also pick living chickens and have them slaughtered and their feather removed in front of you. Of course, all sorts of packaged and frozen meat can be found as well. When you are done with seafood and meat, take the escalator to the second floor and get fruits and vegetable. Fruits and vegetables give another vivid, colourful and iridescent delight. Walking through the crammed aisle, you can find traditional Chinese vegetables such as “choisum” (菜心 coi3 sam1) and “bakchoi” (白菜 baak6 coi3), as well as organic vegetables or super fruits. From stall to stall, fruits from all over the world pile up like small hills, you might find Australian cherries, Chile blueberries, American oranges… they can be from anywhere around the globe.
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