LIFE'S LARDERS

       Even though there are well-stocked supermarkets on most of Bangkok's main roads, the role of the city's fresh markets in people's lives is as prominent as ever. The produce sold there is usually fresher than what is found in supermarket bins, and it is easier to choose exactly what you want. You can buy either a very small quantity or large quantities and bargain before making a purchase. Since chatting and negotiating with vendors is part of the experience, you can come away with more than just the items you bought.
       There are many different kinds of fresh market, each with it own special qualities.
       First come the ones owned by the organisations that administer and manage them. These organisations own their own land and run the markets to answer the needs of nearby communities. They establish a system and define standards for the markets. The number of stalls that a market can comfortably accommodate is set, for example, and areas assigned for different kinds of goods depending on how much water they contain. Dry produce like flowers and fruit are placed in front;then, farther back, vegetables and condiments, meats like pork, beef and poultry, and finally fresh fish, which need to be stored in ice and bins.
       The walkways must be wide and not slippery, and when the market closes for the day they have to be washed clean and the water drained effectively. The market area itself should be well-ventilated and illuminated. Above all, the vendors must observe the market's rules strictly, with weights and measures given accurately.One market of this type that has been very successful is the Sam Yan Market near Chulalongkorn University. It was originally set up as a place where the university's professors and other staff could shop before returning home, and for the local community.
       Another market of this kind is the Or Tor Kor market (an abbreviation of the Thai name for the Marketing Organisation for Farmers), a government enterprise run by the Ministry of Agriculture originally set up as a channel through which farmers could offer their produce to society. As time passed, however, it began offering not only fresh produce but other kinds of goods as well, including prepared foods complete with areas where customers could sit and eat them. The produce sold there comes fromany sources, including middlemen, and since stiff competition ensures that only the highest-quality goods are offered there, it has become extremely popular. Prices, of course, are considerably higher than those in conventional markets,but customers are apparently happy to pay.
       Markets in the second category also belong to organisations, but in this case the owning body does not supervise them.Instead, a private concessionaire is allowed to look after the property, with the owner only collecting a concession payment.These markets are very old, and their sales are primarily retail or by order. At the time when they were established, it was not customary to do any advance planning with layouts and regulations defined. Everything is mixed together - fish, fresh meat,fruit, fresh and pickled vegetables - with goods often stacked up in piles on the floor. The area where chickens and ducks are slaughtered is usually near a canal,and there are no facilities for the disposal of rubbish. Ice vendors operate near lavatories, the walkways are wet, and the hoards of delivery men with their pushcarts are rough and impolite. As there are no parking areas for delivery trucks, they pull up around the edge of the market, blocking traffic.
       But be all that as it may, these markets are very popular. One reason is that so many people who sell food have to do business there, whether they are offering Chinese food, Isan fare, or dishes cooked to order. People who want freshly cooked food go there to buy, say, a big, meaty frog fried, and or a catfish grilled, on the spot by a master of the technique. Scarce vegetables like the termite mushrooms (Termitomyces clipeatus ), called hed khone inThai, are sold at these markets in their brief season, along with just about everything else. Klong Toey market, owned by the Port Authority of Thailand, is a prime example of this kind of place, and it's a total mess.
       But there is a better fresh market within this group, a specialised one that sells flowers, fruit, temperate-zone vegetables and regional produce retail or by order.Once again, the stalls are not separated by type but are all mixed together, sans the chaos, however, of Klong Toey market.The classic, enduring example of such a market is Pak Khlong Talat (Pak Khlong market), owned in part by the Ministry of Commerce.
       Privately-owned markets make up the third category. The Bon Marche market on Pracha Niwet 1 Road in Bangkok, with its careful planning and layout, is a shining example of a popular, modern, trendy and well-arranged market. In the fresh market area, the arrangement of stalls is very orderly and clean, with odours from frying oil and other kinds of cooking minimised. The dining area is safe and clean, with dishes cleared away quickly. The parts of the market where other types of goods are offered are spacious and airy. Not surprisingly the Bon Marche market is hugely successful.
       There are other privately-owed markets in many provinces near Bangkok, including Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi. They can be seen as models of a new kind of business beginning to take hold in Thailand. Most are located beside major roads like Chang Wattana, Tiwanon and the Pathum ThaniRangsit highway, where new communities are growing rapidly.
       The owners of these markets either own the roadside property on which the markets are located or they rent it on long-term leases. They usually start off by setting up temporary markets that convene only at the weekends or on specific days, and they limit preparation to clearing the ground for vendors to have a place to offer produce and cooked food.
       When they first start, these markets are usually open only a couple of days a week.As they become well known, they begin increasing the number of days on which they operate. When there is enough business to keep them open all week, a permanent market takes shape, and substantial improvements are made. Parking space is provided, and a high, well-ventilated building constructed to house the market stalls.
       The market inside is clean and wellorganised, with plenty of room for visitors to walk around the different sections dedicated to various kinds of goods. There must be a good range of ready-to-eat food available because local communities like that, and also plenty of local vegetables.Sanitation is very important, with effective facilities for maintaining cleanliness and the disposal of garbage, as well as clean lavatories.
       This is the structure of the markets themselves. Around them, there are usually rows of shophouses that might include barbers and beauty parlours and shops selling CDs,DVDs, electrical equipment, sound systems for cars, and places that sell and service mobile phones - in other words, everything in place for one-stop shopping.
       Setting up a market of this kind requires a lower investment than many other kinds of businesses. The premises are easy to maintain, profits come in quickly, and a successful market may remain in operation for many years.
       True, supermarkets are proliferating and thriving, and they are the place to go when you are craving for camembert, balsamic vinegar or a hundred other products few fresh markets would stock. But fresh markets of all kinds are a cornerstone of Thai culinary culture and,happily,they will continue to flourish and develop.