The place where I usually go shopping has meat stalls. The stalls sell various sell various finds of fish including squids, lobsters, crabs, Hamilton's carps, clams, etc. We eat everything except crabs. They taste very delicious. In Japan snails are very expensive. But In Myanmar, 10 clams cost 100 kyats (only US$ 0.3). We bought and ate them when we first arrived in Myanmar. However we now avoid eating them. Because I have read a book. The title of the book is "How to stay in South East Asia for health".

The book describes, "The place where dirty water cannot be controlled has sea-creatures (especially shellfishes). After heating them, they have still disease germs and sometimes they can cause hepatitis and jaundice. Almost everywhere in Myanmar there are victims of such diseases. But in the well-controlled places, we cannot see any victims. If you want to eat the crustaceans, you'll have to cook them by heating well. After heating them, sometimes you'll have to."

I think that after heating them, it will probably cause the disease. You must take good care of yourself. For me, I must try to keep myself healthy. It is a warming to me and I have no courage to eat them for my daily meals.

So far, fish and squid (crab is not a good me) have no bad effect on me. Crab probably will cause some disease for local people in Myanmar. Because Myanmar people are scared of eating crabs. The crabs will have some toxic. We must pay great heed to them.

By the way, after World War II, Japan had the time of pestilence. The considerable number of older people, (over 50 years of age) who had met the time, had caught jaundice in their youth. In any case, we are able to eat any crustaceans. When I ask my versatile husband whether we can get fresh fish, lobsters, etc, he replies that there is an "Ideal Fish Market". (Yangon fish wholesale). I feel glad to know that. But for the expression." You'll have to get up early. If you get up late, you won't get any fish. It is quite a long way from our apartment". I have lost my happiness. We have no privately owned car. So we use a bus for the most part. After a few days, we called at our friend's house. He is a Myanmar by birth. We had a chat with him. We told him how we could get fresh fish. While we said about it enthusiastically, my friend pointed to a place all of a sudden. It is a place not far away from our apartment. It is called "Iron Market" (fish & meat wholesale market).

The next day we got up early from bed and went out to the market. My husband looked surprised to know the place from Myanmar friend. I felt strange to see his wonderful face and asked him why he was acting so strange. My husband replied that it was a wonderful thing and the market is near our apartment. After walking out a little way away from our place, we had arrived at the market. At that time my husband said it was the very place we wanted to come.

Iron Market is in this building

When I used to go shopping, I usually passed by a building. I used to crane my neck to see the building as I passed by. I thought that what the building as I passed by. I thought that what the building it was. It was quite near. When we entered the market, we saw people busy doing their work. They were doing noisily, On account of noise and bustle, we shrugged our shoulders. We also saw many heaps of fish. They were fresher other than fish we had seen on the wayside. There were many kinds of fish with numerous names. Fishes were stacked on the bench high above our waist. Smelt (fish) was waving its fins. Some of smelt fish dropped onto the ground and it gave trouble to the seller. Scaled frogs and catfish were heaped near the fish heap. The big catfish were very strange to me. I had never seen such a big catfish. "How terrible it was!"

Sea fishes sold at Iron Market

Then, I felt pins and needles in my heart to see cockroaches passing through over the fishes. It was a very dirty place, which made our cloths and feet dirty and wet. There were soles, ray fish, & horse mackerel seen in the fish heaps. They are the common fish I have seen in Japan. A "Fishman-fish" can be found here. When I asked the prices of fish, I were told that sale & nga-phan-ma fish were 500 kyats. (US$1.3) for 1 Viss. They were very cheap. Lobsters are the most expensive. They are large as black tiger. They cost 1700 kyats for 65 Kg.

Fishes, cuttlefishes and prawns counter at Iron Market

My husband uttered a happy voice screaming "Oh, Oh!" We were in a happy mood. We moved towards the meat stalls in an excited manner. Roughly - made rooms were better than rooms in a museum. We had to see such excellent views part by part. I thought my cheerful face would become pale & wan.
Pig's nose, pig's leg and liver it giblets, goat's head, its legs (part by part), hip, tail and birds neck without feathers, the bird's eyes were staring at us, I think. And we were frightened. Beef was of poor quality. It was the same as the beef, which was selling at the market place I usually go to. When asked, cows are sacred to Buddhists. Cows have to cultivate in rice-fields in order to get our staple food. Myanmar people mainly are Buddhists. So the people avoid eating beef. Moreover, beef sold for eating does not come directly from a living cow. Without the international of eating, butchers have to kill them, which has died a natural death. So beef has full of bad parts of flesh.

A meat shop at Iron Market

Thinking to buy a chicken, I felt like seeing it. So I wanted to rush towards the backside of the market stalls. Sudden I stopped my moving steps. It I buy the whole of the chicken, I will not cut it up for cooking. Naturally if a housewife buys the whole of the chicken, her cook will cut it up. But now, I have no cook in my apartment. Moreover I myself do not even know how to cut it up. So I want to buy a cut-up chicken (not likely to sell already cut-up chicken.) I cannot speak the Myanmar Language. I cannot understand it. Hence I am unable to ask the seller to cut it up. It I buy pork, I will get the same trouble. Although I told the seller to give me the parts I liked. But actually the seller game me back pieces, which were unlikely to be mine. I was not satisfied with myself for I could not choose the right parts of pork. So I had to grim and bear it. I had to take note of it gradually.

At last I had to buy fish except meat and came back to my apartment. I told the seller to take out scales of fish. I thanked the seller for removing the scales. After arriving at my apartment, I had to remove the remaining scales and clean them with water. Then I wrap them up with a boil and keep them in a refrigerator. I had got fresh fish. Only meat was a necessity.

It would be better to cut up meat myself. But it would be a difficult and busy job. So I had no alternative. I decided to buy them at the super markets like newly opened City Mart. Super market sells chicken and pork. They are put in packets. Chicken is divided as part of chest, loin, etc. Cut-up meat (like ball of meat) is also available. There were only two different balls of meat and a big chunk of meat at that time. I did not know which part of the pork was on sale. Chicken was more expensive but it was very delicious.

Then, meats with minerals and various kinds of dishes make our diving-table pleasant delightful.