Return to market

I spent a few hours roaming Market!Market! It's been sometime since I went there, and the first time I've had to really go around the shops to see if there's anything that makes the mall worth going back to. Since I'm into books and food, I have to admit there's not much in the place for a book lover. The two book outlets aren't that exciting, and I didn't find anything that made me go ooh! gotta have that book.

On the food side, I was immediately surprised that China Star was closed so soon after it opened last year. I know the food business is harsh but we were there late last year and it seemed to be doing well. Considering the other food options inside the mall and outside by the fresh fruits, vegetables and grillery (sic), I wonder what made the management decide to close up shop.

I ended up getting a fresh lumpia at Mann Hann, buying mangosteen and a marang from the fruit stands. Also at Mann Hann, I ordered an oyster cake to take home to the folks. Is it the -ber months that make up oyster season or is it not safe to eat them during this time of the year? I can't remember. But I haven't had an oyster cake in sometime so it's always a treat to have it. Reminds me of my childhood when we'd go to Chinatown after Sunday mass and one of our favorite dives was a place we named "oyster place" - yeah, well we didn't have a lot of imagination for places, pragmatic foodies that we were - where they'd have a bowl of tiny oysters ready to be cooked up into the best oyster cakes and oyster stews in town. When I lived in China, the wet markets would have special times of the year when the vendors would sell plastic buckets of young oysters, freshly shucked. I never had the guts to buy them and make my own oyster cake. But soon, I'll have my own kitchen to play with and I'll be experimenting on a lot of food that I've wanted to make!!! (insert mad scientist laughter here)