Markets: Look Away Now (Maybe)
Now, we know this set of photographs won’t meet with everyone’s approval, so just a quick warning: if you find pictures of animals in markets offensive or revolting, you might want to look away.
But the truth is, markets across the world are fascinating places, and part of that fascination is in seeing things you wouldn’t see back home, even if some do have a certain yuk quality. Like lots of travellers we seem to have amassed a rather large collection of market shots, but these are some of the more “out there” ones from our archives….
Live eels, Riga….
Edible bugs, Oaxaca….
Delicious chocolate drink (despite appearances!), Ocotlan, Mexico…
Fish on the beach, Bengal……
Pigs’ snouts, Riga…..
Live frogs, Chiang Rai….
Strange cuts, Oaxaca….
Giant cabbages, Zagreb….
Live (escaping) snails, Marrakech….
Camel’s head, Guelmim, Morocco……
Three more shots from Guelmim…..
Heads for 1 euro each, Thessaloniki…..
Chickens on Death Row being fanned from the heat, Bengal…..
30 Comments
giacomoasinello
Yes, not pleasant to look at but we are too soft. We prefer our meat to look pretty, already wrapped in plastic at the supermarket.
Phil & Michaela
Yes it’s so much better to source from “proper” suppliers rather than sanitised supermarket stuff with tons of plastic wrapping.
Gilda Baxter
I love wandering around a city market, it is the best way to immerse into local life and culture. Interesting photos.
Phil & Michaela
Couldn’t agree more, Gilda, we reckon we’ve got photos of markets from virtually everywhere we’ve ever been!
Andrew Petcher
The markets in Morocco were probably the most unhygienic that I have been to.
Phil & Michaela
I know what you mean, but have to say that India takes it to another level.
grandmisadventures
I love markets like this! No better way to get a glimpse into the daily life of the area. I think sometimes people get uncomfortable with this because we’ve become so separated from our food. As long as it is packaged nicely we can completely disregard where it came from. But I prefer the honesty about markets like this because you get what you see…that being said, I would have no idea what to do with any of those things once I brought it home. Great pictures!
Phil & Michaela
Couldn’t agree more! Markets are brilliant places to wander and get absorbed into the atmosphere. In Turkey last autumn we got into the habit of a weekly market visit and creating our own meals back at the apartment – on top of anything else, it’s a great way to learn the language.
Monkey's Tale
The pictures from Morocco are pretty harsh, but the craziest we’ve seen was Laos. They really do eat everything.
Phil & Michaela
Yep, we saw the barbecued rats in Luang Prabang. The stallholder said it was a piglet when we asked!!
Monkey's Tale
yep, and worse 🙁
ourcrossings
I have to agree with you that markets across the world are fascinating places and some of them are must-see places for tourists even if the food stalls are packed with deep-fried cockroaches and meat dripping in blood. I loved your post about your time in Riga – yes, we are proud of Latvian beer – I hope you had a memorable visit. Latvia is a small country yet offers plenty to see and do. Cheers and have a good weekend. Aiva 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Yes we loved our time in Latvia, we will be back!
MrsWayfarer
It’s only in 2019 that I’ve been including them in my travel itineraries as I get to see (and learn) more about the places I go to through a trip to their markets. I hope to be able to travel freely again soon, as there’s so much more to explore.
Phil & Michaela
Hi, glad you have started going to markets on your travels, you get a real feel for the local community there. Thank you for following us, hope you enjoy 😊
Annie Berger
We, too, are huge fans of visiting markets overseas or even in other cities here in North America as they give us a great sense of the local people and culture. I especially appreciate your camel shots as we’ve never seen anything like that before!
Phil & Michaela
Hi Annie, glad you liked the camel shots. Unfortunately we didn’t get to try camel meat… yet but we hear it tastes good. 😁
Toonsarah
I love visiting markets like this! I had to laugh at the escaping snails 😆
The hardest things to stomach that I’ve seen to date would be a tie between the eels being skinned alive in Guangzhou or the moles split open to display their intestines in Luang Prabang!!
Toonsarah
By the way, you might like to share this for Cady’s Friday Foods of the World challenge: https://thecadyluckleedy.com/2021/04/02/fridays-foods-of-the-world-cruise-desserts/ If so, please tell her I sent you 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Cool, thank you 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Oh yuk, we haven’t seen those yet 😆
John and Susan
Great photos. We love visiting markets during our travels. Always so fascinating!
Phil & Michaela
And always an “in” to local culture too!
carolinehelbig
Funny, I just started drafting a post about my favourite markets. I totally agree that they are fascinating places. Some of them will always be at the forefront of my travel experiences. Great photos. I especially like the heads for 1 Euro.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Caroline, the heads are rather amusing. You really get a feel for the local community by visiting the market, love it ! 😁
pam@ichoosethis
What do you reckon they do with the heads when they get home??? I do love a good market!
Phil & Michaela
Well, we do have a story about an elderly lady who sat next to us at a table in Marrakech and ate her way through a sheep’s head. Markets are great places to get to know the feel of a city.
pam@ichoosethis
Oh gosh, not sure I could watch that 😩😩
Tan Bollesty
Great and interesting photo’s. Markets are the one of the treats of travelling for us. Seeing a city or town this way tells you so much about a place and the people. Usually good eating close by too!
Phil & Michaela
Spot on, on every bit!