Having explored the HDB estates in Toa Payoh and in Bedok lately, I realise how emmm... rustic my Chong Pang market really is. Apparently, some of The Daughter's friends shudder at the mention of Chong Pang market. They were there and found it chaotic and dirty. We brought a Hong Konger there for lunch and in her naiveté, she said, "Oh! Are the police going to come and chase all these hawkers away? That is what they do in Hong Kong."
And there I was, so proud of my market.
All this while, I thought that I had to force myself to tolerate Chong Pang as part of my own sensory training. It turns out that plenty of folks prefer tidiness too. I also realise that HDB estates can look very neat and very tidy, even if Chong Pang does not.
Then, I discovered the fruit paradise in NTUC Fairprice. The prices are competitive and I get volume discounts annually. Best of all, the fruits are neatly bagged to prevent people from fingering the fruits and spreading Covid19. Next best of all, there are temperate country fruits galore, from strawberries, to soft, juicy pears to apricots and blueberries.
I think I am done proving to myself that I can tolerate noisy chaos. With almost no community spread, it is now safe to go into the malls again. From now on, I am going to shop for fruits at NTUC Fairprice, get buns for M, from Breadtalk and tauhuey from Mr. Bean.
I am still proud of my market though. No matter what, it is still my market.
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