life | grocery shopping man

After the outbreak of the epidemic, taking into account the health of the elderly, people were not allowed to go to places with many people, so my sister and I have been responsible for purchasing food and daily necessities for our home for more than two years, and we go to the department store to buy food once or twice a week.

In order to avoid trouble and buy vegetables, fruits and daily necessities at one time, I decided to give up going to traditional vegetable markets and go to supermarkets that provide vegetables and fruits.

After more than two years, I have become a person who is not very familiar with vegetables and melons, and now I have a little understanding, and finally I know the names of the vegetables I eat.

We regularly go to the cheap department store within 15 minutes drive from home every Wednesday or Thursday. As soon as we entered the supermarket gate, we first ran to the egg section. More than 2 years ago, a tray of 30 eggs was graded from MYR 9 to MYR 11. Now the price of a tray has risen to MYR 12 to MYR 13, which shows that we have come to an era of high inflation. There is less money at hand.

Next is the vegetable area. The biggest difference between this place and the traditional vegetable market is that almost all vegetables are packaged. Different vegetables have different prices, ranging from RM2 to RM4. About three.

I first see if there is milk cabbage, which is my mother's favorite dish. The appearance of milk cabbage is medium and short and fat, the petiole is wide and thick in the shape of a milky white spoon, and the leaves are round and green. My mother always cooks it quickly with oil and some ingredients. It tastes good, and I like it myself.

Milk cabbage is not expensive, there are about five to six pieces in a pack, and the price is about three ringgits. Next most are to buy cabbage hearts, kale, rapeseed, red stem amaranth and so on. Then came potatoes, cabbage, cabbage, carrots and broccoli. These are all calculated on a scale. Potatoes are the cheapest, sometimes only nearly 2 MYR per kilogram, and the most expensive is rarely more than 4 MYR. Cabbage and broccoli are much more expensive. Often more than RM10 a piece of cabbage.

In addition, I also buy baby corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, edamame, etc., but not long beans. Because of health and physical fitness, neither my father nor my sister can eat them. After buying the vegetables that I must buy, I went to look at the apples. I usually choose a small apple with 10 pieces in it, and the price is about RM10. Follow an apple a day, keep the doctor away policy, and occasionally buy papaya or bananas. The price is between 4 to 6 MYR.

Now I am quite a grocery shopping man, and I also compare prices.

When I was very young, I lived in the wooden hut area. At that time, my father was busy with work and went out to work early in the morning. There was no vegetable market near the house. When my mother wanted to buy vegetables, she waited for the arrival of the vegetable cart every morning. The vegetable cart is a small mobile vegetable Market, converted from trucks. It is full of fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, dry food, etc.

At that time, in addition to vegetable carts, there were also vans in the evening. At that time, unlike bakeries everywhere, the appearance of vans made it easy for people to buy bread, cakes, etc. for breakfast the next day or supper that night.

During my father’s illness or recovery until now, I no longer let my father drive, so the job of carrying my mother’s shopping before the epidemic naturally fell on me. The place of purchase will change place every once in a while.

At that time, the most visited market was a traditional vegetable market near the Sarawak River - Pedera Market, which is not much different from other vegetable markets. Fresh vegetables, meat, fishy smell, etc.

The traditional vegetable market is also a humane place. Although my mother only goes there once a week, the stall owners who have been patronizing them will recognize my mother. Sometimes they will give me an extra handful of vegetables, which are cheaper. They will also remind me how to check whether they are fresh or not, and even teach how to cook and mix them.

The traditional vegetable market is also a place with human fireworks. Walking into the traditional vegetable market at Jianfeng time in the morning, there is a continuous flow of people, bustling and bustling, looking at the rows of vegetables, fish, chicken, pigs and cattle stalls, the footsteps of customers, customers Bargaining with the stall owner, chatting and shouting are all mixed together, and it is a lively place full of life.

These department stores can't feel it. Everyone walks and pushes carts politely, and even speaks in a low voice, let alone bargaining or shouting. So my mother can walk for more than an hour in the traditional vegetable market, and I can get everything done in half an hour in the department store.

No matter when the epidemic is over, or after the end, I will continue to work as a grocery shopping man. I hope that one day I can challenge the traditional vegetable market to bargain with the boss to buy a few handfuls of vegetables!