Hate for the chilly atmosphere but long for the
crowded stalls? Head for the local markets that will do you a favor. Smell the welcoming scent and greeted by the
warmth that you will hardly found at the department stalls. When travelling, include
a local market shopping spree in your itinerary could be a marvelous idea if
you wish to see the authentic local culture and the people’s ways of living.
Kuching Sunday Market and Sibu Central Market will
complete your exotic journey to the East while living the wooden puppets, key
chains, and seashells to the souvenir shops. You will see things that you have
never come across – live hens and ducks wrap in the newspaper, durian that
appears in bright orange colour, local mandarin and longan with the skin in
green colour, and you can squat to watch the cock fight performance. Get the
fresh local vegetables and fruits in season and you can ask the sellers on how
to eat them in the ‘most appropriate’ way. You might inspire the housewives to
share with you the best home cook recipe while they are bargaining with the
sellers in a very creative way just to get few cents discount or to have some
small free spring onions. 
As in Sarawak, you will find the ethnic groups such
as the Iban and the Bidayuh are selling more exotic type of products yet
cheaper in price. Don’t underestimate them, they are the simple kind of people
yet produce the purest honey that costs only RM15. They sell the freshly
harvested vegetables from their unpolluted lands. As for the food hunter, by familiarize
with the raw ingredients from the market, you will know how to order the best
local taste in the restaurant.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you bring back home the
secret of cooking midin and paku for your kitchen master? This is where it worth
a visit that you will never regret.
