Crankytown

Every market's got it's vibe. Bangsar's daily morning market is all business, but friendly. Temerloh's pekan sehari is laid back, as any market that takes place only on Sunday mornings should be. The Pudu market off of Jalan Pasar is high-energy, noisy and lively.

Petaling Jaya's SS2 pasar malam is ... cranky.

Don't get me wrong. From a purely foodie perspective this mostly Chinese market, with stalls lining both sides of the four streets surrounding a square block of shops, is awesome. The vegetables are spanking fresh,

the fruit beyond reproach. Sidling up to one of SS2's many seafood stalls one smells nothing but air and a hint of salt; fish, prawns, squid, crab all look as as if they've just been pulled from the water.

Egg tarts,

baked buns,

and exceedingly fragrant almond-topped steamed spice bread tempt sweet tooths.

There are medicinal herbs for whatever ails you

and seemingly every plant under the sun, from flowers (roses, lavendar) to vegetables (bitter melon), dried and ready to be made into tea.

But what's up with the vendors? I've rarely encountered such a bunch of - to use one of my dear mother's favorite phrases - sour pusses in my life! Never a smile, rarely a grunt. With the exception of the ladies we bought a pile of fish from, a sweet grandmotherly type selling super sweet corn on the cob from a single rattan basket, and an outgoing guy offering big bags of oyster mushrooms for just three ringgit, we didn't find much fellow feeling at SS2.

Spying a crowd around a vendor's table, we squeezed in to find customers snatching up bags of fresh noodles the minute they were unloaded.  Being confirmed dough heads, we wanted in on the action.

The vendor, doing her best imitation of the stereotypical Ugly American struggling to communicate in a land where he doesn't speak the language, bellowed at me, straining to enunciate each word:

'THESE ARE NOOOOO-DLES.'

Hmmm ... did she seriously believe that this orang putih (white person) didn't know what a noodle was?

'Yes, thank you,' I replied. 'I'll have a bag.'

'No, I'll give you something eeeaaaasy-er to make,' she barked, reaching back into her van.

Then she dumped the contents of another bag onto the table: thin, obviously not freshly made noodles frozen together in big clumps. They lay there, unloved and untouched by any of the other customers, some of whom were now behind the table, rummaging about in the van for more fresh noodles.

'Ugh, no thanks.' We moved on.

I'd love show you the sweet-smelling fresh bean curd being sold from a wooden barrel, but the vendor, shouting, chased Dave and his camera away. Now, I'm sympathetic to any vendor reluctant to share his trade secrets, but I'm still trying to figure out what might be revealed in a photo of  bean curd in a wooden barrel, other than that it's .... in a wooden barrel.

In fact, our photos from SS2 are relatively few, given its size and interest. A mother-daughter team didn't seem to mind our documenting their specialty: rice flour dumplings filled with a choice of yam, turnip, or Chinese chives.

These obviously homemade treats are really something special. The wrapper is thin, just thick enough to contain the contents, and the lot is topped, if one wishes, with plenty of chopped scallions and big, crispy-chewy chunks of golden fried garlic. The flavorful and spicy chile sauce that accompanies is just that: fresh red chiles, ground with salt.

If I were to revisit SS2's pasar malam (doubtful), it would be for another box of these tasty mouthfuls.

SS2 pasar malam, Thursdays from about 5pm.

Comments

[Cin]

an absolutely drool-worthy post, Robyn! How did they do that with the peaches?

I want some of the durian, the egg custard tart, the fluffy steamed cake and those dumplings...

[michael]

dont you think that most housing area in Malaysia now have a sort of commercial block where all the goodies are ?

good for us then

[charlie]

This is just lovely. I stumbled on this a few weeks ago and have enjoyed your photo-essays since. Thank you.

[Karen]

Hmm. I'm having a hard time recalling such cranky vendors at an Asian market! We tend to get that only when Jerry's trying to photograph endangered species for sale. He was once spat upon in Vietnam, too, but that was at an Internet shop where the woman tried to overcharge him. Maybe it was hormonal. She was pregnant. She chased him out the door, threw a shoe at him and spat. The neighbors all looked at her like she was crazy.

[Tummythoz]

Maybe tofu vendor was just suspicious? Of what, only he knows. Certain vendors tend to put on haughty airs when their business grow. Sad, isn't it?

[Fashionasia]

hmm....i thought SS2 pasar malams are on Mondays???

[shiewie]

There are two pasar malams in SS2, a smaller one on Thursdays at the Kayu Nasi Kandar side and the more bustling one on Mondays at the main square.

If you ever get back to SS2 pasar malam on Thursdays, there's pretty decent salt-baked chicken there (not as good as the herby one in Ipoh but it'll do).

[Jackson]

wow....dun tell me you took this picture in Malaysia. I never know Malaysia Pasar Malam have such a great scene of food! You give life to the food !! Great job!

[bayi]

I think the SS2 pasar malam is one of the largest I have seen. Can't complain about the variety of things on sale here. Tried the popiah? Long queues every time.

[Marketman]

Your photographs never cease to amaze...they are utterly stunning. Never thought I could taste or smell something from just seeing a photograph!

[Grete]

Great pictures! Very interesting blog!

[Robyn]

Grete, Charlie, and Marketman and Jackson - thanks! We think the hassle of film (relative to digital) is worth it..

SW-thanks for clarifying, will note the two markets. Saw the salt-baked chicken and was tempted .. but already had 2 meals' worth of fish in my hands. It just might lure me back - if I do will try popiah too (thanks bayi).

tummythoz - yes, but that vendor wasn't the only one. Which is why it seemed so weird. Never encountered it in M'sai before.

Karen - well, spitting is a bit extreme (though there's alot bubbling under the surface in Vietnam - we once had rocks thrown at us)! The only other place in Asia we've encountered this kind of thing with photographing food is China. But then that's nation of pretty crusty folks. BTW ran into your 16-inch bananas at a night market yesterday. :-)

Michael - yes, they're everywhere, and lucky us. But we've found each market is slightly different, products being sold and/or 'feel'/atmosphere of the place. It's what makes them so interesting!

Cin - no idea how they do the nectarines ... but to tell the truth as beautiful as they were they had absolutely no fragrance at all and were rock-hard. "Not good, from China," sniffed a browsing local as we took photos.