So I happened to go to the fish market this Sunday morning to get our weekly stock and my hyperactive mind (or lazy, depends how you see
it) started wondering…
I love fish markets, especially the ones in Kolkata. It’s a bit
gory with all the blood and guts lying around but the life in the market amazes me.
Each and every person is super keen and the variety of fish you get to see in a
Bengali fish market will fill you with awe. So, when I went to the market the
other day, a Katla fish of about 2 Kilo jumped on me from the water filled tray
in which it was swimming in panic. A few Koi fish were kicking around in
another tub in a rather playful manner. The Magur fish had such a never dying
attitude that they had to be beaten on their head by the fishmonger before she
could put them in a bag, tie a strong knot and sell them. Some big fish like
Rohu were not very jumpy but you could see them still letting out small bubbles
in the water. You could have slithery Lotke, pinkish Pabda, silvery Ilish and
Roopchand, tiny Mourola and Puti, the all-time favorites Parshe – Topshe,
Chital, Bhetki and the list just goes on and on. Irrespective of whether you are buying or
selling, everyone had this high pitched voice full of urgency and excitement. Also,
you could hear passionate debates on things like - which fish head is better for Murighonto –
Katla or Rohu? Which type of prawn is better for Chingri Malai – Golda or Bagda? Is Bowal
really good for your blood; Which one would be more effective if you have an upset tummy –
Shingi or Magur? Every fish got its own value and culinary differences and
every Bengali in the fish market had an opinion about them. It’s like a strange
but adorable community built around fish. Quite interesting, if you ask me.
I love fish markets, especially the ones in Kolkata. It’s a bit
gory with all the blood and guts lying around but the life in the market amazes me.
Each and every person is super keen and the variety of fish you get to see in a
Bengali fish market will fill you with awe. So, when I went to the market the
other day, a Katla fish of about 2 Kilo jumped on me from the water filled tray
in which it was swimming in panic. A few Koi fish were kicking around in
another tub in a rather playful manner. The Magur fish had such a never dying
attitude that they had to be beaten on their head by the fishmonger before she
could put them in a bag, tie a strong knot and sell them. Some big fish like
Rohu were not very jumpy but you could see them still letting out small bubbles
in the water. You could have slithery Lotke, pinkish Pabda, silvery Ilish and
Roopchand, tiny Mourola and Puti, the all-time favorites Parshe – Topshe,
Chital, Bhetki and the list just goes on and on. Irrespective of whether you are buying or
selling, everyone had this high pitched voice full of urgency and excitement. Also,
you could hear passionate debates on things like - which fish head is better for Murighonto –
Katla or Rohu? Which type of prawn is better for Chingri Malai – Golda or Bagda? Is Bowal
really good for your blood; Which one would be more effective if you have an upset tummy –
Shingi or Magur? Every fish got its own value and culinary differences and
every Bengali in the fish market had an opinion about them. It’s like a strange
but adorable community built around fish. Quite interesting, if you ask me.
Markets provide an unique cultural appeal to me. You get to interact with local people and also experience their day to day quirks which are very normal when you belong to the same cultural group yet quite extraordinary when observed from an outsider's perspective.
I had been to the local fish market in Toulose and Loire in
France and also the one in Split, Croatia. I found these French and Croatian
fish markets very similar to each other but quite different from an Indian or
specifically Kolkatan fish market. These European fish markets (I'm using European in a broader sense here, my experience is specifically from French, Greek and Croatian fish market) had the same
character to that of a Kolkatan fish market in terms of the big open layouts
selling fresh fish (mainly seafood as opposed to more river fish in Kolkata),
sneaky cats pottering around the pillars awaiting their chance, a bit of blood
and gut here and there but you would not find the mind numbing chaos of a Bong market there. The common types of fish you could find in Europe are Tuna, Salmon, White fish, Basa, Tiger prawns etc. The interesting feature of these markets were the small counters doing easy fish
preps for you to try out. Even without the extreme level of enthusiasm and the variety,
they were still very much in character and always soothed my love for fish.
The English fish markets were however very different. They
were always very pristine, no gory scenes or fish smell. Generally, if I come back
from a fish market in Kolkata, I right away go and take a shower but you could
nip into an English fish market on your way to a party and it would be
absolutely fine. But what I love about the English fish markets is the backdrop
or the setting. They setup markets on the beach or just by the sea or a green
park adding a pure aesthetic value to the entire business.
So, to think about it, in my ideal world, I would prefer a fish market
which has the pretty English setting of the beach with the level of hygiene and
efficiency of an European market and the life and blood of a diversified Bong
fish market. Now, that would make a perfect Sunday market visit!
(The picture at the end taken from Google)
(The picture at the end taken from Google)
