Something Fishy ... (Chungbu Market, Seoul)

Trip before last, when driving in the taxi toward the big curvy, stainless steel building (see below "Dongdaemun"), I saw a market.  I couldn't tell what kind of market it was, but it looked interesting, so I decided to go back...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

So, when you are walking by yourself in a foreign city, sometimes you have to look around, hoping  for clues as to what's going on.  It's coolest to have a friend to guide you, translate and explain, but (at least when you're in a safe city) you can't just "not go" because you don't have anybody with you.  So, in I went...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Ok, so the first things I see are "dried things", nuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds...all bagged in bulk, like maybe the customers here are restaurants...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

...and then other dry stuff, dried bananas, peppers, maybe apricots...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

...and then, dried (very small) shrimp...several sizes, sorted carefully by size, the smallest about 3/4" (20mm) long.  And then I saw what I expect is the main product here, dried...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

...Fish !!
These look they are slit down the belly, gutted, and spine/bones taken out.  Then the sides are spread out until the fish is flat, and it's dried, stacked and bundled.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Then surely, this being the Far East, if you have dried fish, you gotta have dried octopus !!

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Over and over in Seoul, I see small businesses, small stalls selling ALL sorts of stuff, as you see in the several market areas I've posted photos of.  This facility is one of the nicest, newest places I have seen such stalls set up in.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Chest-high bundles of those same, flat-dried fish...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Here's another variety.  Hard to see, but there is a stick, stuck through the top of the fish's head, coming out by its chin, and going into the next fish, 10-fish-to-a-stick.  About 16" (400mm) long, VERY uniform, maybe farm-raised, to get all at the same age/size, and maybe 150 fish to a bundle.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

And really surprising, these are all small-to-tiny, silver-sided fish.  The biggest are smaller than sardines, the smallest are maybe 3/4" (20mm) long.  Tiny, and a GO-zillion to a box, box-after-box...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

More nuts, seeds, peas (green pumpkin seeds)...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

This I didn't understand.  Eight to ten inches (200-250mm) long, tied 5 in a set, with yellow plastic, they didn't look gutted, or dried, to me. 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

I took this fellows photo, he smiled and didn't mind.  I should be braver, and ask more people.  But...I was by myself.  There were several little old ladies, all bundled up against the 18 deg F (-8 C) weather.  I think they wouldn't have minded.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

One characteristic of ALL these markets is the tight, cramped spaces.  Seoul has a LOT of residents, 25 million I think, so space is at a premium.  A guy with a 2-wheeler, carrying a huge load of boxes into and out of the market is a scene I've seen repeated many times. (this is very early in the morning, sun is just up, no customers are in the market yet...throw in several hundred shoppers, and THEN it will look crowded !)

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

This kitty has a nice quiet refuge...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Peppers, LOTS of them...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

In this stall they are grinding the peppers (from coarse to fine)...might be ground sea-salt in the front containers.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

More dried fish...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 More bundles / pallet-loads...fish, fish and more fish.


So, the lesson is, as I always say,
photos don't come to you,
you gotta' get up (pretty early sometimes)
and get out there,
hot, cold or whatever, go !

Seoul

I shall not,

soon tire,

of this city !

 

Y'all take care,
- Mark