The human touch of shopping routes

Childhood memories will always include street markets.

Every time I went to the market with my mother to buy food, I was reluctant. Simple, who wants to get into a hot, wet scene? So they all shouted to leave quickly. Later, my mother found a compromise - leave me in the library and pick me up at a certain time. This compromise method is limited to when she is shopping for a long time. If she only buys one or two food items, then I still need to follow her into that "space".

Later, the emergence of Japanese-style supermarkets changed people's lives: everyone could choose to buy food in a clean and bright place. However, the traditional street market continues to survive in its own way. Probably that kind of human touch. Mom will always go to certain stalls to buy fish and vegetables. In addition to being relatively affordable (it should not add green onions to buy vegetables), there is also trust: I believe in good quality.

When I go to buy food with my mother, there will always be the following dialogue:

 The stall owner: "Are you a fine way?"
Mom: "Yes!"
The stall owner: "Yeah! It's so big! It was very thin before!"

I keep thinking: Do you have a second sentence? Now that I think about it, the stall owner may be too distressed and want to find a topic.

In those days in Ireland, food shopping became a daily lunchtime activity, as meals were cooked every night. In fact, you can take out, you can buy Ding Ding rice in the microwave, but I do not choose. Another question of money: in Ireland, everything is subject to VAT, except for locally grown crops. Therefore, buying food for cooking has become a reason to travel to save money. Every noon, I will think about "what to cook tonight". Every weekend, I always ride my bicycle to buy food from the three nearby supermarkets. When you get home, debone, skin, and marinate the chicken you bought, and put it in the refrigerator for later use.

Such days have become one of the fondest memories in Ireland.

So, when I read "Old-School Girl Shopping Route", while feeling the author's time to buy food and cook, I recalled the days when I lived alone.

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Maybe the title of the book makes people think in the wrong direction. "Old-School Girl Shopping Route" is not about shopping, but about buying groceries. Most of the shopping routes of author Hong Aizhu are the old streets of Taipei: Dadaocheng and Luzhou. These two places are the places I visit/stay every time I go to Taipei. So I have an impression of the place she talked about.

Another "shopping route" should be the "connection between people" (this phrase is very popular in Taiwan recently, if you are not sure, just google it). Every food brings back memories of her: visiting the market with her mother, dining with family and friends. This book not only talks about Taiwan itself, but also mentions Hong Kong and Thailand. And most importantly, that love. The short story has already felt a thick human touch:

 //In order to prepare the meat, I went to the evening market on Luzhou China Street to buy meat. As soon as it was said to be used for three animals, "Cai's Butcher Shop" could not help but take back the thin meat I picked myself, and cut a thick slice of pig with beautiful skin and flesh. Belly, save me from being disrespectful.

The grandma who sells corn chicken will take the time to explain that the fish head and the chicken head should be placed in opposite directions. After buying the chicken, the neighboring stall sells green bamboo shoots from Guanyin Mountain. Recalling that Ma Lian used to love bamboo shoots, he decided to buy some as well. Unexpectedly, the aunt who sold the chicken saw it and rushed out of the store. She said, "The bamboo shooter will worship that style!" When the aunt who sold the bamboo shoot heard this, she immediately stood up in fright and said, "The robe is worshipped, you can't buy it."

Then the two hooked me on the left and the right, and explained the five-minute goodbye instructions. At the conclusion, the grandmother who sold the chicken put her thumb and forefinger around my wrist and said, "Young man Rujaer, with a young hand bone, you must slay the chicken. Mingzai has done her homage, and I will slay it for you when you bring it back. "

In fact, I will slaughter chickens. But oops, why is there fog in front of me? //(pages 91-92)

This kind of "connection between people" is what makes every dish taste better.

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Extended information:

"Old-School Girl Shopping Route" (from blog)
https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010886823

Interview with Hong Aizhu
https://okapi.books.com.tw/article/14462