Authentic Fresh Market
Call it old fashion, call it primitive or call it whatever you want but Uthai Thani still maintain the authentic way of selling their fresh products. It is a part of their simple, authentic way of living. There is no Big C, Tesco nor Makro or any shopping mall so this is where we buy our ingredients every day.
The market is located by the river. In the morning it starts (or stops) at the roundabout with the 5 exits (by the bridge over the river) and it stops (or starts) at the roundabout with the fountain (by the 7 eleven).
Early in the morning you can see the monks walking around with their alms bowl which gives an even more authentic feeling.
From 5:00 to 8:30 in the morning saleswoman (and some salesman) sell their goods sitting on a blanket on the floor. The locals living in the floating houses catch or breed their fish in the river and sell it every day on the market. In the morning you’ll mainly find fish, fruit, vegetables and breakfast dishes. It is never too early to eat in Thailand.
There are a few non edible goods sold like shoes or trousers. But it is meanly food on the morning market.
I would be lying if I would say I love the morning market. I hardly ever go to the morning market. It is a very nice market, but I just don’t like getting up that early. I’m not fully Thai, so my breakfasts mainly consist of more western versions of breakfast. The weather is more bearable in the morning though. So for all you early birds do go there it is a great place to get your daily dose of fruit.
I usually go around noon or in the evening so I miss the morning market almost every day. I mainly go to the covered hanger, which is open from morning until evening. There is a huge variety of vegetables, fish and meat. The hangar is the only place on this market where you can buy fresh meat. A large number of stalls sell freshly cut pork, chicken or beef. There is only one stall that sells beef, no 25.
There is no shortage of fish. You can buy fish on the morning or evening market and in the hangar all day long. There are also saleswoman with plastic tubs filled with frogs or turtles. I’m going to keep my opinion to myself, because I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite as I am a carnivore. I’m only going to say that I used to buy whole tubs filled with frogs or turtles and released them in my grandparents pond or in the temples pond, because it is forbidden to catch fish or any other animal on a temple domain. (And now I do sound like a hypocrite.)
In the evening from 16:00 till 18:30 there is another market almost at the same place. It is also by the river, but it starts (or ends) at the roundabout with the elephants on it and stops (or starts) at the roundabout with the fountain.
This market is all about prepared food or ingredients for your dinner. The prepared food is convenient, delicious, cheap, but also very spicy. After living here for a year and a half I can eat at the spice level of what they are selling. For tourists it might be a bit too spicy, but for those who can handle it, the food is really great. It’s authentic Thai cooking. You almost can’t make it yourself for that amount of money. I do love to cook, so I only buy the prepared food when I don’t have a lot of time or I’m too hungry to cook or let’s be honest if I’m just too lazy.
The umbrellas provide shade, but they are incredibly inconvenient if you are tall. Mind your head while shopping. Not only is this the necessary stop for everybody who wants to by fresh products, but I find it also quite charming to walk around at the market. People are always smiling, always friendly, the vibe makes me happy. I must say I don’t miss crowded shopping malls at all.
This market is not a tourist attraction. Although it might be interesting for tourists to see. It is part of the everyday simple life of the citizens of Uthai Thani. And it is now a huge part of my life too.
