I spent the greater part of my career working for a high-end grocery chain. One of the bigwigs always wanted to bring a farmers market feel to the place, and had the most annoying habit of saying things like, “Have you ever been to that little tea market outside of Kuala Lumpur?” when trying to get you to understand his ideas. Of course, none of us had ever been to whatever far-flung place he mentioned, and health codes usually barred us from executing his ideas. But on my adventure to Myanmar, I really got a good idea of what he got him so excited about all those local markets.
Of course, there are modern supermarkets in the larger cities and towns (we saw one in Yangon that I totally wanted to shop regularly), but most of the locals get their food from the outdoor markets. These generally run every day, but there are “market days” when more vendors show up and people from the further villages travel down to stock up on supplies. The goods are displayed carefully on tables, mats, and blankets, and you can get everything from green tea to spices to eggs to cut up veggies. There are little pharmacies, clothing and shoe vendors (heavy on the flip flops), and stall after stall of local produce and rice.
And if you just want a quick meal, the markets are the place to be. I liked the little all-in-one stands where the seated proprietor fried up snacks in a pan of oil over a fire (think hibachi fryer), and displayed the hot food in a bowl perched on top of the contraption.
My favorite market was in Kalaw, where the local produce was stunning to behold and the cooking smells were beyond delicious. Here’s a few of my favorite shots from this market.