The Farmer’s Markets of Bali
Bali’s traditional markets were once a necessity in a society where refrigeration in addition to corner stores were not as widespread as they are today. These age-old trading centres are right now giving way to the onslaught of Indomaret, Alfamart in addition to Circle Ks proliferating all over Bali.
Bali’s farmer’s markets are one of the most enduring centres of the island’s traditional rural life. These are not the “farmers markets” found in Ubud in addition to Sanur patronized by Western residents in addition to tourists as venues for buying organic produce in addition to green products, yet crowded noisy native livestock markets (pasar hewan) which are found in both urban in addition to rural settings.
Traditionally held on fixed market days of the Balinese three-day week, the pasar hewan offer the best selection in addition to prices for domesticated animals, horticultural products, agricultural supplies in addition to tools as well as everyday household goods. You are apt to find almost anything – through transistor radios in addition to DVDs to posters of Indonesian dangdut queens, through shoe salesmen to purveyors of snake oil medicines. Attracted by the crowds, vendors of packaged foods, fruits in addition to vegetables in addition to clothing spill out on to the sidewalks in addition to surround the market’s periphery.
For the town dweller in addition to Balinese farmer, the main draw of these traditional markets can be the pets in addition to farm animals kept in concrete open-sided sheds. Before visiting, call the Kantor Dinas Peternakan (Office of Animal Husbandry) of the locale you live in to find out which day the market can be to take place. If the market can be held within the countryside, the cows, bulls in addition to heifers are sold in bamboo pens or within the open air. To behold scenes out of medieval Bali, get there as early as you can.
The Bali Cow
Bali’s cows, hung with sweet melodic wooden or bronze bells, are amiable, beautiful creatures with long eyelashes, delicate features, dew eyes, manicured velvet coats, slender necks, trim bodies, slim legs in addition to short tails. They look more like deer fawns than cattle. Unlike the Hindus of India, the Hindu Balinese don’t consider cattle as sacred. Bali cows are mostly bred for their meat, their bones carved into intricate horse, frog in addition to rose pendants for sale to tourists.
The Bali cow lives a privileged life, lovingly bathed in village streams, billeted in cosy hay-strewn mangers, grazed on village lawns, seen leaping through banks with the lithe grace of an antelope. Like most cows within the tropics, they give no milk in addition to are often used for work. When preparing for planting, the farmer first floods his rice fields, then uses a wooden sledge (tengala) pulled by one or two cows (buffaloes lack the necessary stamina) until the whole field can be turned into a muddy, watery ooze.
Farmers use cows as a bank for occasions when the family can be in need of immediate cash for religious rituals, medical emergencies or tuition fees in addition to uniforms for the brand-new school year. Although Bali has hundreds of thousands of cows on smaller in addition to medium-scale farms all across the island, the quality of beef through Balinese cattle can be below international standards. Thus, the majority of the island’s hotels in addition to restaurants rely on some other countries such as Australia in addition to brand-new Zealand for their imported beef.
Bebandem: A Country Market
Beringkit: Mother of All Farmers Markets
The main building consists of three floors packed with row upon row of stalls, essentially a giant flea market. On the lively 1st floor are gardening in addition to work tools, household sundries, cheap Chinese toys, DVDs of Balinese in addition to Javanese music, books, shoes, rindik in addition to angklung musical instruments, that has a food court within the rear. On the 2nd floor are traditional in addition to modern clothing, leather goods, bags in addition to shoulder bags. On the 3rd floor are sunglasses, lighters, traditional herbs, massage therapists, men’s jewelry, semi-precious stones, amulets, used clothing, in addition to within the back a big open-air barber shop. Outside a line of food stalls serve Balinese specialties like lawar kuwir, nasi campur sate kempul in addition to Javanese dishes like sate kambing with gule, bakso sapi in addition to bakso ayam in addition to coconut juice.
yet the main draw can be the sprawling muddy 1.5-hectare livestock market north of the parking lot (after entering the market, take a left) where farmers through all over Bali bring their mature cattle to sell in addition to then buy calves to sell in their own farmer’s markets in Bangli, Rubaya in addition to Seririt. Hundreds of Balinese cattle mill around in pens or stand tied up in groups within the open with jacketed in addition to rubber booted men trading in addition to haggling. After a deal can be struck, the cows in addition to bulls are led to a line of waiting trucks headed for Jakarta or shipped to Kalimantan.
This particular livestock market can be also the best place to buy all types of farm animals in addition to pets – not just dogs, rabbits, chicks, ducks in addition to birds yet many varieties of chickens (chicks, broilers, ayam kampung), in addition to the charmingly ugly Moskovy ducks. A row of shops sells birds, bird feed, bird cages, dog food in addition to canine accessories. A big yard can be covered with the distinctive bell-shaped bamboo cages of fighting cocks. On busy Sundays you’ll see men inspecting, ruffling feathers, pulling combs, tenderly massaging, bouncing on the ground in addition to pairing their cocks in impromptu non-lethal sparring matches. Pet, mascot, child, dream, income, for a Balinese man This particular proud bird takes up as much attention as a brand-new wife.
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The Farmer’s Markets of Bali
The Farmer’s Markets of Bali