Sometimes It's Better Not to Know

One of the many delights of India is her abundant and fresh produce. This spring, cart fulls of bright yellow mini-melons, deep red pomegranates, oranges, big and small papayas, green and black seedless grapes, sweet smelling guavas, and bunched up gooseberries line the streets of every enclave and colony. Glowing white radishes, deeply red orange carrots, rockette lettuce, cauliflower, slim lady fingers, multi-colored bell peppers, fresh scallions and bigger leeks can all entice a sworn carnivore into vegetarianism.

One-stop shopping here is far removed from its western concept. We have no Safeway or Kings where vegetables are under dim lights and cold misters as though they were being styled for a photo shoot. We have no Price Club where large quantities of produce are clinically packaged for the American household. What thrives are block markets. In my community, I have the choice of doing my "one-stop" shopping at Basant Lok, or the A-block, C- block, D-Block or E-block market. Block markets will allow you to buy one banana or lime or onion if you wish. You can go over the tomato bin and pick just the ripest ones for the evening salad. You can choose just a couple of bananas for next morning's pancakes. If by unfortunate coincidence you run out of money, the merchant is quick to give you credit.

A recent newspaper article brought to light that among the market scales surveyed, only a mere 30% were accurate. Aha! I am not surprised! The A-block fruitwallah takes my fruits, makes a show of putting them on a scale and without pen or paper, comes out with a total for my day's purchases. I never challenge the accuracy of his scale nor his arithmetic. A few rupees here and there doesn't make much difference. But a few rupees every day can come up to quite a tidy sum.

My friends and I discussed our fruit-buying habits. I was not surprised to discover that they are not too fond of my A-block fruitwallah. Too expensive, one says. He is so snooty, another complains. True, true, but you've got to admit, his fruit looks good. They admonish that I try their more friendly E-block fruitwallah.

One evening, my dinner menu included a salad of fresh ripe tomatoes with lots of cilantro and a vinaigrette dressing. India's tomatoes are red and luscious unlike the hothouse version we see in Singapore. I stopped at my unfriendly and snooty A-block fruitwallah to pick out my 5 salad tomatoes. I headed to the dark corner where he has a crate of tomatoes. As I headed over, I saw a rat which must have been at least five inches long with an even longer tail! Horrors! I ran out immediately and told him that there was a rat amongst his vegetables. He looked at me very calmly and said "THAT IS NOT MY RAT, MADAM, THAT IS MY NEIGHBOR'S RAT."

I could not have my tomato salad that evening.

Not that evening, not the next evening.

Later that week, I recounted my story to a group of local friends. They sat, listened indulgently and smiled at me. My dear, they advised, anywhere there is fruit, there will be rats. There are rats out on the fields where the tomatoes grow. There are rats on the orchards and farms where fruits and vegetables grow. I've never quite thought of it that way but I suppose they were right. Sometimes it's just better not to know.

Enjoy your tomatoes!