Market Time

What to eat and where to get it are big questions with any move and throw in a few few allergies (wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs) and preferences (pescatarian) and you definitely get a challenge!

There are many more options than their used to be, but many of my favorite items are not here (oh how I miss PCC). Rice, dried seafood and other local specialties like fermented tea leaves are plentiful. Market Place is the largest supermarket and has the most variety of "international" options. I was excited to find flax seeds and Bragg's here. 

Mandalay rum, Myanmar rice and organic Myanmar chocolate from Market Place.

A few weekends ago I ventured to Sharky's with some colleagues. It's a restaurant and deli with a few specialty items (meats, buffalo cheese, hot sauce, hummus). The New York Times recently wrote about his business - I think you'll enjoy the article here.

Pizza, pasta, salads, smoothies...what to choose at Sharky's?

Artisan Sea Salt, Buffalo Cheese, Hot sauce and Chia seeds - treats from Sharky's. 

I'm lucky that my school is located near a City Mart, a medium grocery store, with the basics. It's a short walk away and some of the teachers visit it daily!

What has been the most fun for me in the realm of grocery shopping is exploring the huge open air market behind our apartments. This is where the locals sell and buy their produce (and other wares - plastic items, eggs, meat, flowers, clothes...you never know what you will find!). It's become my weekend routine to head out one morning and go on a fruit and vegetable shopping spree, filling my fridge for the week. 

One of the regular stalls I visit. If I go early, she has homemade tofu available. 

Fresh fruits and vegetables crowd most of the stalls and I like that I can pick from a huge variety of items. I try to buy one new fruit or vegetable each time I go. Some of the new items I've discovered this way are white radishes, gourds, local heirloom tomatoes, wild mushrooms, small green and white eggplants and lots of different greens.

About one week's worth of produce - approxiamately $6.50.

There are starting to be malls (not really any western shops, though), but for the most part small shops offer one type of ware, whether that be rattan items, fabric or handbags. The quick, one-stop shop does not exist! This (and the traffic) make errands time-intensive, but my apartment is slowly coming together. 

Picking out furniture and organizers at the Rattan Store.

Well, that's the update on markets! Thanks for reading. Believe it or not, I'm about to head out for my weekly produce...who knows what I'll find today!

Also, as many of you know, I've just started an online course. My homework will pull some time away from blogging, but I will continue to update. If you haven't, you can subscribe for email alerts above which will alert you when I publish new posts . 

What I'm reading: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (intriguing story and creative idea...the main character keeps dying and being reborn back into the same life to try again)

What I'm listening to: Jenny Lewis' The Voyager (thanks, Leslie!)

Monsoon Season

Streets like this would warrant big news in the US...just another day of monsoons here!

The start of school swept me away... but at least it wasn't the rain! I'd like to share a little bit about our wet season, which is happening right now. It's funny to have left Seattle to be seeing a lot of gray skies and experiencing intense precipitation. But, this is the closest thing to a "winter" here and I am handling it just fine. Since arriving, the temperatures have hovered around 85 degrees, but the humidity is high. I haven't needed a cardigan, except for in some of the expat restaurants that turn the AC up high!

Rainy view of my street

My commute is just across that cross-walk! My quickest and easiest yet!

 

Looking out the window on the way to the stationary store. 

 

Business goes on as normal, despite flooded streets.

A little blurry, but you get the idea!

Check out the video I took from my balcony window. It really doesn't do it justice!

If you don't want to see this much water, come visit between November and February!

In October we'll move into the dry and warm season and then by March it will be dry and hot. My birthday is in summer here, not the first day of spring! I'll keep you updated on the seasons, especially you, dad.

What I'm reading: Bark by Lorrie Moore (This was my first kindle purchase in spring! Lorrie Moore doesn't disappoint.)

What I'm listening to: Purity Ring, Spoon, Nacho Vegas