The following morning, my Mom and I woke up at around seven to get ourselves ready to stop by at Pasar Badung. Pasar Badung is a large traditional market in Denpasar, located not far from where Aunt Tami lives. We went to this particular market to buy various foodstuff for the baby shower. But first, before we put ourselves into our scavenger-hunt mode, what we need is a nice breakfast.
Spring rolls and fruits for breakfast, boy did they blend well with each other. I was amused by Aunt Tami's particular choice of breakfast. The spring roll was well fried, as in crunchy on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside. It came with a bowl of sauce, which name escaped me, that tasted sweet, sour, and a bit spicy. I'm accustomed by the idea of having bread and milk for breakfast, but this was very enjoyable.
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| Breakfast is served! |
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A plate of deep-fried spring rolls for breakfast, and it came
with a handful of assorted chili pepper |
After we had our breakfast, we hopped into the vehicle and drove to Pasar Badung. Aunt Tami's older sister, Aunt Wati, tagged along with us to help with the groceries. Aunt Nunung, Aunt Tami's friend, also joined us in our quest of finding meat and vegetables.
To me, traditional market is like a portal that connects us with another peculiar place. Heck, another dimension if I may say. Despite its lack of hygiene, a traditional market is an amusing place to be. Butchers, green grocers, egg farmers, and traditional snack sellers are ubiquitous. Endless shoutings of "Come visit our booth", "We got the best meat in town", "Our vegetables are very fresh" are inevitable. It's like visiting Narnia, minus Mr. Tumnus and Aslan.
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| Meat section! |
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| The butcher lady, diligently choosing a nice meat to be chopped |
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| They have such friendly and talkative sales lady in this traditional market |
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| Fish for lunch, perhaps? |
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Handy with knives. Not afraid of sharing the same odor with fish.
This lady was my favorite character during my visit to Pasar Badung! |
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| One of the fishmonger lady, scooping a handful of finger-sized fish |
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| Why did the chicken cross the road? |
You can find lots of female workers in Pasar Badung, who offer you a service of carrying your groceries. This kind of service is quiet efficient for those who shops a lot and are not physically-capable, or probably just too lazy, to carry their own groceries. For a price of Rp 10.000,00, these female workers will trail around with you the moment you hire them, until you finish your shopping spree.
During my visit to Pasar Badung, Aunt Tami hired one of the female workers to help her with the groceries. This particular worker is still young, probably at around my age or a couple of years older. I see her as a shy and physically-strong teenager. She followed us for around an hour with an occupied basket on her head. She carried various foodstuff which, I believe, weighed more than a kilo. We gave her Rp 17.000,00 and a glass of mineral water in the end, as a token of gratitude for willing to do such burdensome job.
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Why bother going to the gym when you can just develop your
muscles by lifting this particular Mjölnir of Thor? |
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| Those were the foodstuff that we bought. Can you imagine how heavy this basket was? |
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| A boost to lift the basket to the carrier's head was desperately needed |
Our adventure at Pasar Badung came to an end. All of us hopped in to the car and drove back home. Mom told me that she bought a package of Bali's traditional snack that I had never seen before. Kue Potong is the name of the snack. It was, more or less, a red-bean-paste-filled bread, cut into several pieces. I find this snack delightful, a bit similar to a Japanese Taiyaki though.
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| Mom, proudly presenting a package of Kue Potong Bali |
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Filled with red bean paste, this particular traditional snack is
a bit similar to a Japanese traditional snack named Taiyaki |
Lunch at Aunt Tami's home was luxurious, as she ordered lots of Nasi Bungkus Bali for all of us. It was awesome and I was pleased. Who wouldn't be happy if they are served a plate of rice, with two kinds of cooked chicken, fried lungs, a stick of chicken satay, a handful of vegetables, and some chilly pepper? I ate like a pig and had a nap afterwards. It was a well-spent day indeed.
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| Nasi Campur Bali for lunch! |
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| A luxurious lunch is luxurious |
Pasar Badung
Jl. Gajah Mada, Denpasar
Bali - Indonesia
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