Darren Melrose Photography

A quick follow up to my last post; it will have to be quick, I am off to Canada tomorrow and have other things to do as well.  Sitting right next to the Wanhua Fish Market is a huge wholesale produce market.  Actually, although it is the fish market I had heard the most of previously, the produce market was actually quite a lot larger.

The market seemed to be divided into two parts.  Like with the fish market, there was a large wholesale area, where very big boxes, crates, containers or sacks of green goods were being shipped and received.  Adjoining that was a huge, but more usual traditional market, where one could buy the day’s or the week’s veggies.

Surprising I haven’t heard more of this, as the entire complex was really big.  Timewise though, the produce market got short shrift, as we did the fish market first and by the time we hit the produce area, we were getting tired (a 3:00am alarm will do that to you).  Actually, just being the the veggie area also made the three of us quite hungry, which probably hastened our departure as well.

I won’t get into technicals too much, there is packing to do, but here are some photos.

Always with a smoke:  I have mentioned it before,

but it always surprises me how much food preparation

and smoking go hand in hand in Taiwan.

Making Change

Broccoli; my favourite veggie.

Asparagus, another favourite.

Something I have yet to get used to in Taiwan.  Indoors, very tight aisles,

yet scooters zip through.  This would be so against the rules in the west.

Really long green beans.

Sacks of onions.

Really happy and friendly.

Red peppers

A big cart for a tiny woman.

My shooting partner for the day:  David Reid.

Well, I have been in the photographic doldrums for a bit now, so when my friend Mark suggested a trip to the wholesale fish market in Wanhua, I was all in.  When he suggested a 4am start time, I was less so, but  still enough that I sacrificed some sleep for a photographic opportunity.

I met up with David, we took a taxi to the market, where we met with Mark and took some shots.  Adjoining the fist market is a huge produce market, but the photos from this post will be limited to the fish market.

The market is where vendors from traditional markets all over Taipei get their product.  Even at 4am, the place was busy and I would be frightened to even guess how many kilos of fish were bought and sold.

Chopping off the tails.

Sitting on Crates

The auctioneer:

This guy was busy, auctioning off small crates of fish one at a time.

I am not sure if the larger lots were sold this way too, but I never saw it.

Baskets of big ‘uns.  These did not look tasty at all.

This guy had his own section; baskets were put on the scale and weighed;

I am guessing the billing was done by the computer he is showing me here.

Cutting up a big chunk of fish.

Smoking and food preparation;

in Taiwan they go hand in hand.

Again, I don’t really know how everything works,

but I think the guys in the blue hats would be the

equivalents to traders in a stock market.  You can see

the sell board in the background.

The auctioneer.

Traders.

You would zonk out too if your day started well before 4:00am.

I will try to get some photos up from the produce market within the next day or so.