Shopping the old Karachi way

I shop at supermarkets all the time, in fact- guilty secret- I often shop at multiple ones all on the same day. But while I love their convenience and the array of imported goodies they offer, sometimes I feel like doing something more organic. When we were little my grandfather would go to Empress Market almost daily to buy my grandmother's paan leaves and fresh alfalfa for her bunny (more on that another day).

I only truly discovered Empress Market after I got married and got into the whole homemaking thing, and now love it to bits. It's hard to describe what Empress Market is- it is a colonial vestige named after Queen Victoria...it is a Karachi landmark...it is a wholesale market for fruit, vegetable, meat, poultry and fish...it is the place to go look if your pet dog is lost or stolen, it's where you can buy snuff and freshly-pressed nut oils...baskets, string, paper bags, walking sticks...seeds and tin watering cans...the place to go for organic free-range eggs and eco-friendly cloth shopping bags, but also an emporium for all the gaudy plastic you can imagine...loofahs and terra-cotta foot scrubbers. It appeals to me because despite the filth and the flies the architecture is so aesthetically pleasing, and despite the protected heritage plaque it remains a vibrant commercial center where people from all over Karachi mingle.

It is also a visual treat.

How beautiful are the vegetables? I particularly like the basket of kachnar- these are buds of white or lilac blossoms that are cooked and eaten. Kachnar are seasonal- another sign that it truly is Spring. I don't much care for the way that they are eaten traditionally, cooked with minced meat, but I love them lightly sautéed on top of salad. Plus they are so pretty!

Speaking of vegetables, there's really nothing like homegrown. I struggle daily with devoting so much land, and more importantly water, to a garden- but with 3 kids the grass is essential for playtime. But we do grow things in pots. Have tomatoes and chillies, various Chinese greens, and a whole array of herbs- basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage, chives, fennel, curry leaves, mint, coriander and parsley. This year we tried lemon balm, which is lovely. The only vegetables we seem to be able to grow with any success are of the marrow family- so I got some bitter gourd seeds and sweet marrow ones to plant. And a tiny tin watering can- just can't get enough of those.

Another one of my favorite stalls at Empress is the bartanwallah - who sells all sorts of incredible pots and pans and kitchen utensils, as well as stools and mouse traps.

I always go here for the best glasses ever- they are local and incredibly cheap and so pleasing to hold and look it. They are chunky and not very sophisticated but I love seeing the bubbles caught in the thick glass and there's no stress when the kids drop one.

Today, I picked up an old-fashioned nashteydan or tiffin-box. It is such a nifty thing- can't believe there isn't one in the design museum- all these little boxes piled up and hooked together for the easy transport of homemade meals. I don't have many meals to transport, but I got one as a sewing box!

I just love Empress Market for all its color. I love bantering with the stall-holders. I love the feel of the worn-out stone floor beneath my feet. I love the sense of adventure- who knows what I'll find? I love the sense of history, of stories untold. I love the preparation- whenever I go to Empress I make sure I take my trusty date palm baskets (another one for the design museum).

These are the goodies I purchased today. I love their colors and textures- the grey tin of the watering can, already acquiring a patina; the coarse yet creamy cotton of the cloth bags, promising years of sturdy use; the nubbly balls of string, perfect for tying parcels like in the Sound of Music song; the cool greeny blue of the glasses. I also love the fact that my grandfather could have come home with the exact same loot thirty years ago.

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