Sundry man is back

There is a wet market a 2-minute walk from my home and it's where I go for most of my fresh produce such as seafood, meats and vegetables. Since the school holidays, I haven't been cooking much. However, after hubby left last week, I started preparing more bentos for the girl. For my own meals, I just eat whatever I can find in the house if I am too lazy. As such, I still have frozen food in the freezer and haven't been patronising the stalls. After the girl was picked up yesterday morning, I took a stroll over to pick up the Straits Times as well as to get breakfast for myself. Walking past my regular chicken stall, I was greeted by the lady who asked what I needed that morning. Told her I wasn't buying as I have not been cooking. Further along the way were a row of shops selling dry goods such as the usual cooking condiments, garlic, onions, canned food etc. I was really surprised to see that my favourite sundry shop was open. It had been closed for months and the rumour had it that the owner wasn't going to set up shop anymore as he was suffering from ill health and had just had an operation. Of course it was with much regret and sadness when I heard the news.

When we were young, my grandma used to visit this market as we lived very close by. Thus, there are many shops and stalls here that remind me of my childhood days. Although the area has undergone lots of changes, I still remember some faces and places of old. One of them was the pork seller. My grandma used to buy from his father, and I now buy from him. Same goes for the fishmonger. And, last but not least, is this particular shop where we used to get whatever dry goods we needed for the home. During the old days, it occupied a much bigger area than it does now, and they used to sell not just food stuff but cleaning agents such as laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, toilet rolls etc etc. It was also where we kids would pick from the many varieties of biscuits from the tins. So you can imagine my joy when I saw that the shop had reopened. I had to go and say hi to the man and ask after his health. It was really good to see him again. I didn't really need more ikan bilis or garlic, but well, just to show my support and for an excuse at starting a conversation, I did just that. I really wish him well on his road to recovery and I do hope that he continues to open his doors for a very selfish reason... to allow me to live through the memories of my childhood and time spent with my favourite person in the world, my grandmother.