Insight into the mind of a "see-lai"
From the Pudu Market:
1kg Siew pak choy
1kg Bayam (Spinach)
600g Choy Sum Fa (the Hong Kong type)
600g bittergourd
300g long bean
600g another type of green veg which name I do not know
some spring onion
1kg Lai Pak (small green HK veg, normally quite expensive)
Enough vegetable to last approximately one week, with two meals cooked at home daily:
Total: RM13.80
From the supermarket:
2 bundles Siew Pak Choy @ RM2.69 each (need about 4 bundles to make a kg)
2 bundles Choy Sum Fa @ RM2.69 each (also need about 4 bundles to make a kg)
Iceberg lettuce per pack RM3.49
Hydrophonic mix veg for salad RM4.29
Enough vegetable for 4 meals (2 days)
Total: RM18.54
The first time I walked into the Pudu Market about 4 years ago, I was tempted to turn around get back into my car and drive home. In fact, when we first moved to KL from Taman Tun, I used to drive the 30km back to the TTDI market for meat and fish shopping. The TTDI wet market is not wet. It's quite dry, spacious and trolley friendly. In fact, stroller friendly too 'coz I used to take Laura to the market with me when she was a baby. The Pudu market floor is wet, stalls are very close to each other which makes it difficult to maneuver a small market trolley. Also, the workers in the market seem to be able to sense a "newbie". They would push their carts and bigger trolleys along the narrow lanes and scold if you're in their way. Now, I'm a seasoned Pudu market person. I scold back!
At the TTDI market, I was used to the butcher who indirectly taught me a lot about the different cuts of pork and the fish stall I frequented had the types of fish my family like. I used to dread doing my shopping in the Pudu market and actually missed my butcher and fishmonger! After a few trips, I realised it was just too ridiculous for a return journey of 60+km to get foodstuff. I still have not found a good place to get salmon and saba mackerel in KL without paying an arm and a leg and part of my torso. No way am I paying RM69.90 per kg for Salmon at the supermarket when I can pay RM34.00 per kg (when I buy a whole Salmon at the TTDI market).
Pudu Market is humungous compared to the TTDI market! Just the stalls outside can easily make up 3 TTDI markets and one can get anything under the sun there and from the shops in that area! From the usual dry groceries, meat, fish, chicken, veg, rice, flour to clothes hanger, utensils, cutlery to wooden clogs to children toys to cloth and clothes to live fish to electronic components to joss sticks and feng shui stuff to..... Can also send clothes in for alteration and the tailor is super efficient! I sent a pair of jeans and a pair of pants which needed zippers replaced. I expected the tailor to tell me to collect the two pairs of pants the next time I go to the market. Instead, she told me they will be ready when I'm done with my marketing (which is in less than 2 hours). Sure enough, my pants were ready by the time I finished buying what I needed from the market! Talk about quick service!
I have been doing my major food shopping at the Pudu market for about 4 years now and I still have not walked the entire market and the surrounding shops. I will probably need half a day to do that. Yeah, I think I will do that one day.
1kg Siew pak choy
1kg Bayam (Spinach)
600g Choy Sum Fa (the Hong Kong type)
600g bittergourd
300g long bean
600g another type of green veg which name I do not know
some spring onion
1kg Lai Pak (small green HK veg, normally quite expensive)
Enough vegetable to last approximately one week, with two meals cooked at home daily:
Total: RM13.80
From the supermarket:
2 bundles Siew Pak Choy @ RM2.69 each (need about 4 bundles to make a kg)
2 bundles Choy Sum Fa @ RM2.69 each (also need about 4 bundles to make a kg)
Iceberg lettuce per pack RM3.49
Hydrophonic mix veg for salad RM4.29
Enough vegetable for 4 meals (2 days)
Total: RM18.54
The first time I walked into the Pudu Market about 4 years ago, I was tempted to turn around get back into my car and drive home. In fact, when we first moved to KL from Taman Tun, I used to drive the 30km back to the TTDI market for meat and fish shopping. The TTDI wet market is not wet. It's quite dry, spacious and trolley friendly. In fact, stroller friendly too 'coz I used to take Laura to the market with me when she was a baby. The Pudu market floor is wet, stalls are very close to each other which makes it difficult to maneuver a small market trolley. Also, the workers in the market seem to be able to sense a "newbie". They would push their carts and bigger trolleys along the narrow lanes and scold if you're in their way. Now, I'm a seasoned Pudu market person. I scold back!
At the TTDI market, I was used to the butcher who indirectly taught me a lot about the different cuts of pork and the fish stall I frequented had the types of fish my family like. I used to dread doing my shopping in the Pudu market and actually missed my butcher and fishmonger! After a few trips, I realised it was just too ridiculous for a return journey of 60+km to get foodstuff. I still have not found a good place to get salmon and saba mackerel in KL without paying an arm and a leg and part of my torso. No way am I paying RM69.90 per kg for Salmon at the supermarket when I can pay RM34.00 per kg (when I buy a whole Salmon at the TTDI market).
Pudu Market is humungous compared to the TTDI market! Just the stalls outside can easily make up 3 TTDI markets and one can get anything under the sun there and from the shops in that area! From the usual dry groceries, meat, fish, chicken, veg, rice, flour to clothes hanger, utensils, cutlery to wooden clogs to children toys to cloth and clothes to live fish to electronic components to joss sticks and feng shui stuff to..... Can also send clothes in for alteration and the tailor is super efficient! I sent a pair of jeans and a pair of pants which needed zippers replaced. I expected the tailor to tell me to collect the two pairs of pants the next time I go to the market. Instead, she told me they will be ready when I'm done with my marketing (which is in less than 2 hours). Sure enough, my pants were ready by the time I finished buying what I needed from the market! Talk about quick service!
I have been doing my major food shopping at the Pudu market for about 4 years now and I still have not walked the entire market and the surrounding shops. I will probably need half a day to do that. Yeah, I think I will do that one day.
posted by Min Chan at
3:06 pm
11 Comments:
how much commission you get from the pudu council for promoting their market until like that? LOL. next time go, see if can find pig pancreas for me ok?
If I have connection with the Pudu commission, I would probably demand they clean up the market a bit. But again, not interesting anymore... Aiya...
Pig pancreas? I can get you the contact number for the butcher lah.
TTDI still got cheap salmon?? I want!
Recently I sent HY's uniform out to replace the zipper and the shop charged me RM8, and not even using YKK zip. How much does Pudu charge?
One of these days, I want to follow you to Pudu market (yes, it does look incredibly intimidating!!). Have a si-lai session at the market...*grins* how appropriate!!
min,
i so understand ur joy of being able to buy 'fresh' vegie at a good and reasonble price :0) -- hip, hip, hooray!!
Pudu charged RM8 for jeans zipper and RM7 for ordinary zipper. Have not noticed if it was YKK or not. I think that's a good deal. I was going to replace the zips myself but saw how much work it was unpicking and then sewing the zippers on. No thanks!
I have always been a bit scared of wet markets as my cantonese no good. Still living a sheltered life as FIL does the wet market shopping and I do the hypermarket shopping. (Shame on me!)
Hi, dear. Hope you are doing alright.
So sorry about Ron. Glad you all made the trip to see them not too long ago.
Take care. I know the loss of a good friend is sorely felt, and will take time to get over. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me, 'kay?
min, see-lai tu apa ?
ya lah now hv to start going to Pasar Borong Puchong tu or Klang.
Pasar Sect6 Shah Alam is too much killing for now.
Thanks, Kat. Ron will be missed but I shall cherished the times we've had with him. He remained strong throughout his illness which was an inspiration to other cancer victims he met.
Ninuk, "see-lai" is in Cantonese which basically means a middle-aged housewife or Madam lah. Cannot call myelf "siew cheh" (Miss) already ma.
ha, i remember wheni was still small, my mom would bring me to the ttdi market, the only thing i can remember of it is that the way some of the traders get into their stall, bend down and just slide in ...
then there was also the jusco morning market, where they served breakfast for all those early birds ... my mom and i will walk to jusco early in the morning hoping that they still have those early birds vouchers ...
i missed that
earl-ku, you must be very young. TTDI market isn't that old is it? I love the TTDI market. Not a wet market at all. How wet markets should be but things there can be quite pricey though. My mother used to take me to the wet market when I was small but I was so put off by the wet floor and the stench, I usually kicked up a huge fuss which angered my mother. Making her angry was better than going to the wet market! Ironic that I enjoy the sight and sound of a wet market now.
You don't live in the TTDI neighbourhood anymore?
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