My Neighborhood Market On A Lockdown Afternoon - A Market Friday Entry
It's Friday again! Time for #marketfriday, an initiative of @dswigle. If you haven't heard of this challenge before, please do read up about it and start sharing your Market Fridays. This is one challenge I try not to miss every week.
A few Fridays ago, I made a couple of posts about my neighborhood market. It's a temporary wet market located just outside the subdivision where I live, about 300 meters away from my home. For this Friday, I have decided to feature the same place again but under different circumstances. Our city right now is under what is called an ECQ, Enhanced Community Quarantine. This is actually just one step away from a lockdown. Under the ECQ, face masks outside the homes are obligatory, social distancing is imposed (at least one meter or 3 feet away from the person nearest to you), home quarantine is strictly followed. Nobody is allowed to leave their homes except to buy food, medicines, see a doctor or go to a hospital. Senior citizens and children are not allowed to go out of their place of stay as they are the ones most vulnerable to the COVID-19. The following photos were taken earlier today at about 5pm. Photo below is the market scene along the left side of the road, coming from my subdivision.
The guy with the megaphone is a local district watcher who enforces the social distancing rule by regulating the number of buyers entering the selling area. But he faces a very daunting task as people on his turf are hard to control, often disregarding him and crowding the stall. See picture below.
The next picture is the market scene across the other side of the road, opposite the stalls shown above.
There's suppose to be another district watcher enforcing the social distancing requirement but I don't think the guy's making a good job at it despite the fact that there are less people buying on this side. There are 2 fruit stalls along this side of the market but one is closed. Here's another view of this part.
I was going to buy some veggies and went to my favorite vegetable vendor. Beside her is another stall selling fish and this big Yellow Fin Tuna gave me quite a start because when I saw it I was just in front of it. See photos below:
Beside the Yellow Fin Tuna is a big Grouper but he appears to be very small beside the big one.
Actually, the Yellow Fin Tuna is the fish of choice to make Sashimi, a Japanese dish of thinly sliced bite-sized pieces of raw fish eaten with soy sauce and wasabi paste. The next picture shows the cut up parts of the tuna. Apparently they have already sliced up one earlier.
After buying the veggies I thought of buying some roasted chicken as I passed by a stall roasting them. See below:
![market 12.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://images.hive.blog/DQmd7ryFXdoGEm8e88Wibf7P6Q7pHAEQksiYg7sJEwguMCL/market%2012.jpg)
But I passed up on this.
Time for me to head for home. As I was leaving, I took another picture of the left side of the market and finally, I see some order and social distancing as the guy with the bullhorn was already livid with frustration and started becoming more strict. Good work!
That's it for this post. Thanks for visiting. The scenes shown above are not really reflective of how an ECQ or lockdown should be. But they also underscore how important it is for each of us to cooperate with what authorities are requesting / ordering us to do. Without our cooperation, the whole effort will just definitely go down the drain. So, stay safe and keep your distance. It just might save your life and that of your family's.
Oh by the way, I saw this plant with beautiful flowers on my way home from the market. It just cheered me up and kept my hopes up high about the outcome of this pandemic. You see the plant was tangled up with so many vines and has not been maintained at all, yet it has bloomed such lovely flowers despite all the problems around it. The Rangoon Creeper.
See you next Friday!
That was an excellent post, in my opinion. It really gives a sense on how other countries are getting on with the social distancing and keeping the self quarantining going. I know everything has been difficult at best.
People are living paycheck to paycheck. What will happen when the money runs out? Will there be looting? Will families help out? It has really gotten bad when the businesses all close up.
I do like the way your local police are handling it, even if people are not always listening, crowd fever may make them obedient.
You didn't get the tuna, did you?
Thank you again! You always pull off an interesting and very thoughtful post for #MarketFriday! Thank you!
#MarketFriday loves you!
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Thank you for your comment. They are very much appreciated.
Yes, these are indeed difficult times. Our government is supporting those who are severely affected with the suspension of work by giving out cash and food. Other big companies are also doing their share in helping those less fortunate ones. It is so heart-warming to realize just how almost everyone is doing what they can to help others. At least this is one positive thing the COVID-19 has brought out.
Meanwhile, back to the post. No, I did not buy the tuna. A bit too pricey at 5 US Dollars a pound :) As I said it is my pleasure to be contributing to #marketfriday. Hoping to continue sharing in the months, no make that years, to come.
Thanks too for the token. It's not the amount but the gesture that counts :)
I am happy to see you doing #MarketFriday. The different cultures come together on Friday and present theirs. It has been an amazing few years watching and learning about different parts of the world that I have never been to and even if I have, not in a local manner.
It is different and has been awesome.
Thank you again! The tipu is not a token. The money goes right into your wallet in real-time. I actually vote each post, as much as my power will allow, which is why I also add a tip.
Thanks again and I hope you have a most wonderful week!
All those years I have been missing out on #MarketFriday. But as the saying goes, "Better late than never."
Have a blessed weekend @dswigle!
:)
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