Found Nemo

Want to know how I got to eat that delicious dish up there? I got to traipse off on a wonderful adventure... went to the Pasil Fish Market on a writing assignment just yesterday. Why? Into each life, a little adventure must fall. Because it's there. Because my editrix said so. Because it was going to be fun! And finally, because apparently, it's the biggest wet market this side of the Visayas.


That's part of the Pasil market (is it obvious that I took the shot in a hurry? Kept thinking someone would snatch my camera). It doesn't look huge here, but it is. It extends for an entire block and there is fish, fish, fish.

If you're not Filipino and have no idea what a wet market is, well... it's wet. And it's a market. Also, it has the advantage of being - for want of a better word - filthy. Yep. It's mucky, stinky, everyone yells and hawks their wares and the old women sit hunched beside their pails smoking to high heaven. Men walk by, pushing carts filled with fish and bits of god knows what. This fish market is the market to beat all fish markets. I'd never seen anything like it in my whole life and I don't think I ever will again. I really did have fun and lots of mixed emotions: I was grossed out, entranced, amused, enthusiastic, fearful (I stuck out like a sore thumb, of course - no one else was toting a pink digital camera), aghast, etc.

I took a bajillion pictures, but there's way too many to share on here. So you can either buy next Thursday's (April 2) edition of Cebu Daily News - buy it, you cheapskates!!! - or, check the rest out on my Facebook. I made it public, just for you.

Below, sights for sore eyes as a teaser. If your eyes aren't sore now, they might be when you're done:


Eels. Unceremoniously dumped on a random table, dripping wet. You know you want to stroke them lovingly and feel the slime. The fun! I saw gigantic squids whose heads were the size of mine. But I couldn't convince anyone to hold it up, sadly.

A bunch of decapitated tuna fish. Fresh meat, baby. You know you want some of that. Fat-free and healthy. Stinking to high heaven, waiting for your loving touch. Mmmm.

Because I love you to pieces, I saved one of the best for last...



I warned you. The glories in your backyard! The utter gristle and gore. That stingray's liver was massive. I have a video of it, but decided not to post. You can click this to view it if you wanna though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ksTag66R0. You're welcome.

I didn't find Nemo. I did find a plethora of huge fish, more memories to file away, and bragging rights to having visited the biggest wet market this side of the country and having lived to tell the tale.

I love my job.