Though we think of markets as huge toy stores, the Indonesian bazaars totally overwhelmed us. There were smells both beautiful and nauseating, lots of dirt and mud, muted lights and ubiquitus calls of “hello mister”. After about ten minutes of this and the mixture of extreme crowd and heat, we would find ourselves running towards the nearest exit, without any loot or photos.

Malaysia, or in fact Kuala Lumpur, is a different beast altogether. One that’s tame, clean and well-behaved. Because Ken’s parents and their house-keeper were going to the local markets for their weekly groceries fix, we jumped at the opportunity to join them. We would never be able to find these places on our own since they’re located away from the city center, in the Bangsar district, far from the beaten paths of tourists. They may be not as exotic as in Indonesia, but stocked just as well, and this time we were able to keep our heads straight. Here is what we found:

a whole lot of bananas

papayas

young coconuts

my favourite rambutans

popiah – a kind of a spring roll wrapped in thin wheat pancake instead of rice paper

jicama – a tuber resembling a turnip; raw added to fruit salad, used as a popiah filling when cooked

taro tubers

lots of greens

lotus roots

okra and Asian eggplants

fish and other seafood

along with trammeled crabs

and last but not least: roasted duck and silkie – a dark, free-range chicken praised by the Chinese; real cute when alive