Walking To A Fish Market Near You...
I’ve lived in Doha for three years and I hadn’t followed my mother’s advice… until today morning, that is.
She’s always told me that the best times to buy fish were in the early mornings. I’ve rewound in my head a million times those journeys, where I accompanied my mother to that market near my house, to buy fresh fish, never later than 5am on each occasion.
As to why I never did the same in Doha, it was because I’d given up on cooking (The best I could do was coffee anyway).
And then ‘Big Chief Eagle Eye’, my newly christened Canon, came into my life and changed everything. I arrived at the market at 3am and didn’t leave until about four hours later.
At 3am, the market was still asleep. People lay curled wherever they could, catching on a few last moments of shut-eye, before the hectic day that would unfurl before them.
At 4am, groans of wakefulness gave way to alert eyes everywhere. Wheelbarrows were readied, huge blocks of ice to spread atop fresh fishes were shattered, knives and pencils were sharpened, tiny little notebooks were brought out and brooms arrived to swiftly clean the marketplace…
At 4.30am, more trucks started rolling in and innumerable people suddenly materialised out of nowhere. The faint murmur of the crowd gradually rose a notch higher as bidding parties took their designated places. The prayer call from a nearby mosque stilled the crowd for a moment. They respectfully waited for it to end and…
…by 5am, all hell broke loose. People were everywhere, screaming at the top of their voices. One man – the bid organiser – cupped his hands to his ears and shouted in rapid Arabic while others agreed, argued or walked away from him. People strolled atop fish boxes, just like they would in a park, ever so careful to never tread on the fish itself…
By 5.30am, the crowd began moving inward, towards the centre of the wide hall, as each batch of fresh fish was auctioned off. Different trawlers spent multiple days on the open seas to take this catch off nature’s lap. When auctions came to a close, there weren’t a single sad face in the crowd… everyone had made a bargain or the other that day…
By 6am, the outer auction area went back to being deserted. A faint hubbub, of excited voices of the fish resellers, floated through from deep within the bowels of the huge concrete market building. Their day had just begun…
Hmmm Ariel...now is that the blone or the brunette? :P By sleep I meant in the Sicilian way :)
well said Greeker, its a nice description.
i admire you to be at the market so early. perhaps its "first come,get it first" "nor early bird gets it".
(perhaps i think i've sme changes)
keep it up.
S.M.I.L.E
Simpleman is loving everyone
:):):)
An Excellent Combination of pen n cam!
Greeker you are a very good writer!
you made it more interesting with perfect takes!
cool...
good
wow!:-)
for seafood people. Yeah, early mornings. But you gotta buy in lots.
I have been there 20 years ago for the first time. Been there a good lot of times. To my amazement I found out that I have a overlooked a section which has the poulterers. Not bad. Cheaper. Worth the hassle only if you are a moderate to big spender
well Greeker, i read it and had to go eat :D
tra la la
Visit my photo blog @
http://my-photos-album.blogspot.com/
YOU DONT KNOW ME, DONT EVEN TRY !!!
darude, i mean little! like 10-12 years back -| am not old but am not little as well?
gr8
gr8 man must say gr8 write up i mean d way u described d whole scenario was jus as i was walikn wid u.y dnt u take up writin ill read ur bks i assure u as it is i m sick of mills n boons
hvm: Thanks for the comment.
Tobyson: I met 'Ariel', a mermaid in my dreams toop, lol.
Heero: Yup, the set-up is similar, yet different all around the world. But being at the right place at the right time with Big Chief Eagle Eye, that's pruiceless. To me at least...
Jasskat: Long time, no see. And as a cat, I thought you'd be delighted with the fish story. Tell me you like it, I'll save the best fish for you next time, hehe. P.S: How keeps you?
R7: If you're really expecting ME to cook lunch for you, then you're gonna die of hunger, period. :P
Ksarat: Hook, line and sinker, eh? :-) Thanks, man. It's really great to have people encouraging you for what you do well. Thanks, again. Really appreciate the comment.
Edifis: By Toutatis, he's here too. What Chief Vitalstatistix says about the sky falling on our heads should be certainly true...
Arien: Thanks, mate.
Blue Moon: They're among my set of cherished memories too. Rolling up the pants to not let the water get at you, me going to one shop and my mother to another and comparing the price and buying fish, the cameraderie among fishermen themselves... Those trips were what a good childhood was made of...
Hoy: Thanks, appreciate the feedback.
FS: I'm not sure when the fiction thingie will happen, if at all. I may not be cut out to be a novelist or anything after all...
Arecel: Same thing as I said to Blue Moon. Growing up was fun.
Once again, thanks to all people for taking the time to read the piece. Feedbacks and encouragement make a good writer. Thanks to you all, I'm getting more and enough. Please do keep reading. I love talking to you all, and thatnks for being so nice.
good job, greeker! reading you article brought back cherished memories of my experiences in fish markets. the smell of the fish small and large and in different colors, the energy of the sellers that is soo contagious and the excitement of the buyers who were able to close a good deal. thank you!
kadaut...
Greeker...as usual marvelous...you took us there with your words...Quality of a good writer...
I am still waiting to read your fiction!
Awesome.....
you mean you are in your old age now in 50s or 60s?
its like flipping through the pages of a magazine. Nice pictures and goods stories.
Really enjoyed reading it :) when i ws little, i been there wid my dad. i remember him bargaining, spending so much time selecting the best fish, vegetables etc..and the crowd used to sort of scare mee...but what was soo intresting was to watch all this. its like a different world to me.
Beautifully narrated Greeker- Thanks
______________________________________________
Listen to Many..Speak to a few.
Unhygienix fishmonger.............
... I must say... an absolutely interesting Write-up...and well as the facts would say my dear friend...
I started reading this thread only because it had your name posted about it and you have a reputation of real good writings...and my god I can surely say my friend, you havent let me down... LOL! Seriously, such a long thread, I think twice to read it, but this one, got me on the hook like a fish right in the beginning and I couldn't let myself go till the end...
Truly enriching experience my friend...
Take care!
Good Writing n all tht ...
But where's my share of the fish dude ?! U spent 4hrs there n u didnt invite me for lunch .. For shame :P
Ah Da, guess you liked the fish.
tra la la
Wake up at 0230. Get ready to be there at 0300. Get what you want fresh for a reasonable price. 'Auction' finished after everything sold within 2 hours. Sometimes get resold in the other mini-markets. Been there, done that too. The early morning rush to get your fish fresh. Same setup also for the meat market.
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
"All Good Things come to those who Wait"...
Tonight you will sleep with the fishes...
jeez nice fish story
Tall: Thanks for the complement, my dear friend. You and your brand of level-headedness is nothing short of awesome too. Ask other QL members if you doubt my words...
Zoobi: It's really fun. Once the action start, you'll always have to be on your feet or you could end up in one of the fish baskets. I almost did twice, hehe.
Darude: Wolf Man is back. Now how i wish he's pick up his phone as regularly as well...
Notfromhere: My pleasure, ma'am. Qatar is so unique. I keep discovering new facets of it every single day.
MD: Thanks for the complement. And i was going to reply "if the last name's Simpson, then there may be a chance..." But QS beat me to it.
QS: Of course, who else?
Lovinni: You're very kind. And do go out among the crowd too. It's fanta-fabulous. One word of caution though... roll up your pants a bit, all those ice after a point transforms into smelly water... I just found out today, hehe.
Vegas: Thanks, man. You the dude.
Alexa: Go once and you shall get hooked. :-)
Oryx: Never fails to cheer me up, hehe. Thanks, Lady J!
Jack: Didn't buy fish. Like i said, I've never proceeded past coffee yet. But that's in my checklist of things to do next time i go there...
Nice writeup as usual....
So did you buy fish? ...
How can a guy spend 4hrs in there.....I am out in half an hour....phew!!!
so now you have mastered the camera and the pen????
wonderful - !!! :)
You can't teach experience...
great story greeker! i find myself among the crowd in the fishmarket...
I think I've discovered the secret of life - you just hang around until you get used to it. ~Charles Schulz
Homer Simpson? :)
*********************
“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I did enjoy reading it. Good job, greeker. Is Homer a relative of you?
What a unique experience. Thanks for sharing!
dont know how did i read all that :D
thank you greeker. I am planing to go there this Friday for fresssssh fish
Great photos. Great write up. Great Greeker :)