CORNUCOPIA
Sam Yan market may have recently moved, but its future seems secure
SUTHON SUKPHISIT
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| The dining area on the second floor. |
The relocated Sam Yan market _ orderly, clean and well-lit. |
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| Pickled cabbages. |
Chinese stewed duck, boiled chicken. |
Years ago, when big foreign supermarket chains started to invest in Thailand, there were many who took exception to them. Among them was an academic who presented a research report that claimed that the arrival of supermarkets in the Kingdom would put an end to Thai-style fresh markets. Not surprisingly, when this document was published it caused a lot of worry.
But the situation that developed was quite the opposite. Traditional Thai markets became a new kind of business for local investors. The idea got around that, if someone owned a plot of land and wanted to go into business, the best thing to do was to set up a fresh market.
Markets are a necessity of Thai society. Thais are used to buying fresh food. They purchase pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, chillies, coconut cream and curry seasonings only in the quantities required for the day. They don't like to store unused meat in a freezer or keep vegetables in the refrigerator, so they don't feel that going to the market every day is a waste of time.
When buying food, Thais like to chose things for themselves, even if it is just a single sprig of lemongrass or a couple of chillies. The also enjoy bargaining, and won't buy unless they get a good price. They also like to pick up prepared foods like freshly made curry and rice from the market.
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| Fresh fish. |
This kind of shopping can be done easily in a Thai fresh market, but the supermarket system doesn't really support it.
Still, fresh markets have their problems. The walkways are narrow, wet and dark. There is often a lot of rubbish lying around, and if it isn't collected you can smell it. Sometimes there are rats running around, too.
Since the markets retain their place in Thai society, these problems can be taken care of, and setting up a market can be a good investment. The fresh market itself need not be the only attraction. If there is space, a row of small shophouses can be built to offer things like motorcycle accessories, sound equipment for cars, tools, electrical equipment like TV sets and CD players, clothing and mobile phone repairs.
This kind of arrangement brings many people to the market, and they circulate around. Those who came shopping for food might stroll over to browse the CDs and DVDs, and customers who came to buy electronics might pick up some food to take home.
Many markets of this kind are appearing, especially in areas close to Bangkok, including Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Lat Krabang, Nong Chok and Ratchaburi. The people who live there tend to belong to the middle- and lower-income classes, and don't have a lot of buying power. But there are so many local people that they don't have to be big spenders, and a great deal of merchandise is sold.
As a result, many new markets can be seen springing up around Bangkok, far more of them than there are new luxury car showrooms that take up the same amount of space.
In Bangkok, where there are many wealthy people, there are markets that resemble fresh markets but that are better set-up and organised. The walkways are wide and well-lit, and the stalls properly organised. The markets themselves are well ventilated and rubbish is collected frequently. Waste water is treated, and there are clean toilets. Some good examples of markets of this type are Bon Marche and the recently renovated and improved AwTawKaw market.
One such market that just moved to a new location and that hasn't been open for even two weeks yet is Sam Yan market. It belongs to Chulalongkorn University, and used to be close to the Sam Yan intersection, where it had operated for more than 20 years. When it opened, it was seen right away as a good market because it was managed by the university.
The old Sam Yan market was in the Chinese business district, where the customers were affluent and willing to pay high prices for high-quality fresh foods like prawns, crabs and fish. The vegetables had to be fresh and large, and the fruit either choice local types or imports from China or the West. Tinned foods, coffee, bottled fruit juice and crackers had to be imported, foreign brands.
The old Sam Yan market was on two levels. The lower floor was the fresh market and upstairs were restaurants including places where good seafood and steak were available. These restaurants were popular with Chula students, many of whom have both taste and money.
Since the Sam Yan market had been open for so long, it may have aged in ways that made the university think that it was time to move it and bring it up to modern standards. It is now located on Chulalongkorn Soi 9, next to the Pathumwan administrative office. Like its predecessor it is on two levels, and is spacious and well-lit. The ventilation system is efficient and the stalls on the lower floor are arranged according to type. There is an area where flowers, seasonings, fresh vegetables, tofu and snacks like Chinese khanom pakkad and khanom kui chai, as well as Thai items like pan sip and thuay fu are sold.
For fresh foodstuffs there are shops specialising in pork, beef, chicken and fish, as in the old market. Salt-water fish like snappers, butterfish and salmon, among other types, are available, as are freshwater fish like pla nuea awn.
Nearby are areas where fresh fruit and tinned goods are sold. All follow a rule that forbids the display of goods outside of the stall, so that the walkways stay clear.
Upstairs, as before, there are restaurants, and all of the popular ones have moved to the new site. The seafood restaurant sells crab fried with curry powder, pla thawt saam rot (three-flavoured fried fish), phat phak karchate fai daeng (a local herb fried with garlic, chillies and other seasonings) and a tom yam made with salt-water fish.
A restaurant popular with students serves different kinds of steak, including "English steak", pork steak with garlic rice, pork fillet mignon, chicken steak with teriyaki sauce and pork steak with mushroom sauce. One of the reasons that students like it so much is that the prices are in the 80 to 90 baht range.
The relocated Sam Yan market is a prime example of the new breed of fresh market. Its popularity proves that Thai-style markets will never be replaced by Western-style supermarkets, which satisfy a different set of customer needs.
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