Shopping in Malaysia, the Old Way
在马来西亚逛集市

KUALA LUMPUR — A vibrant cornucopia of colors bursts from tables laden with tropical fruits and Asian vegetables. Nearby, slick eels splash noisily in a tank and a tray of catfish fight for their last breaths, as men push trolleys past elderly women doing their morning shopping.

吉隆坡——摆满热带水果和亚洲蔬菜的摊档散发着活泼斑斓的色彩。不远处，滑溜溜的鳝鱼在水槽中扭动拍打，发出杂乱的声响，摆在托盘里的鲶鱼则挣扎着感受最后的呼吸。男人推着装货的小车，与晨起买菜的老太太擦肩而过。

Beneath the tables holding the seemingly endless array of produce at Kuala Lumpur’s Chow Kit market, whether chunks of meat or mangos and limes, puddles of water gather amid dropped vegetables and discarded fish bones.

在吉隆坡的秋杰路市场(Chow Kit market)，摊位上一排排的食品与物产仿佛望不到边，无论是鲜肉，还是芒果和柠檬。摊位下掉落的蔬菜和抛弃的鱼骨之间，是一摊摊的积水。

吉隆坡秋杰路市场(Chow Kit)中待售的蔬菜。

The traders readily admit it is a noisy, dirty scene, but here, in one of the oldest and largest wet markets in the city, is a glimpse into an aspect of traditional Malaysian life in a city where multistory shopping centers have mushroomed in recent years.

摊主们爽快地承认，这个地方脏乱且吵闹。但作为吉隆坡最古老、规模最大的湿货市场之一，它可以让我们对马来西亚传统生活方式有个直观的了解，尤其是摩登购物中心在高楼中迅速涌现的时代。

Big malls, with their spotless facilities, designer brand names and cinema multiplexes, have become the primary places for shopping and entertainment for many young middle-class Malaysians. But Chow Kit market retains the rough-and-ready tumble of a place where everyday goods, like shrimp paste, peanuts and delicately wrapped Malaysian sweets, have been bought and sold for more than 50 years.

拥有洁净设施、名牌产品和多厅电影院的大型购物中心近年已成为马来西亚年轻中产阶级购物和娱乐的首选。但秋杰路市场仍然是个购买日常用品的好地方，虽然环境粗糙，但应有尽有，包括虾酱、花生、包装精致的马来糖果等在马来西亚市场上流行了50年的东西。

“They’ve got everything,” said Nori Malek, 64, who visits the market most mornings. “I come to see friends, buy fish, buy vegetables, then go back home and cook.”

“这里什么都有。”诺里·马力(Nori Malek)说。马力今年64岁，几乎每天上午都要来一趟市场。“我来这里看朋友，买鱼，买菜，然后回家做饭。”

Visiting the shopping malls is almost unavoidable during a stay in Kuala Lumpur, but a morning spent meandering through the narrow aisles of Chow Kit market, where the multitude of goods reflects the dynamic mix of Malaysian cultures, can be a feast for the senses, although it can be a little overwhelming.

对游览吉隆坡的旅行者来说，购物中心几乎是不可避免的血拼目的地。但找个上午在秋杰路市场狭窄的走道里漫步，尽情欣赏丰富物品反映出的活力四射的马来文化，尽管会有点儿信息量太大，但绝对是一场感官的盛宴。

The market has somehow managed to survive the development craze that has swept much of the rest of the capital in recent decades. The Petronas Towers, the tallest twin buildings in the world, can be seen hovering nearby through the hazy morning sunshine.

过去的几十年中，吉隆坡经历了一场现代化发展狂潮，但秋杰路市场却巍然不动，没受什么影响。透过朦胧的晨光，我们可以看到世界最高的双塔建筑双子塔(Petronas Towers)在不远的前方昂然屹立。

But with Chow Kit slated for a makeover into what the government promises will be a more hygienic, user-friendly market, now is the perfect time to visit, before some of its more traditional characteristics fall by the wayside.

但根据政府的规划，秋杰路市场即将经历一场翻修，翻新后的市场卫生程度将大为提高，也更方便顾客使用。因此现在是造访秋杰路市场的最佳时机，再晚一点儿，部分传统特色可能就会消失不见。

A short taxicab ride from the city center will deliver you to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, one of the main thoroughfares running through the Chow Kit area (“jalan” means street in Malay).

在市中心坐上出租车，几分钟就会到达东姑阿都拉曼路(Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman)。这条路是纵贯秋杰路区域的主干道之一，名字中的“jalan”在马来语中意思是“大街”。

Just down the road from the elevated Chow Kit monorail station (another transport option if you are staying near a station), head down Jalan Raja Alang and enter the market on your left, opposite Safuan Plaza.

从高架单轨列车秋杰路站下车（如果你下榻的酒店附近有单轨列车站，也是前往秋杰路市场的交通方式之一），径直向南，到达拉惹阿郎路(Jalan Raja Alang)，你会发现秋杰路市场就在你的左手边，沙福安广场(Safuan Plaza)的对面。

Stalls selling exotic fruits greet visitors at the entrance. Rambutan, whose fine spines poking out from its skin help it live up to its name (“hairy” in Malay), dangle from strings above mangos piled up in neat rows. Petai, or stink beans, still encased in their long green pods, hang over multiple varieties of eggplant.

市场入口处，充满异国情调的热带水果在摊位上热情迎接你的到来。表皮长满软刺、名至实归的红毛丹用绳子绑着，在排列整齐的芒果堆上空悠然晃荡。种类繁多的茄子上方，悬挂着尚在绿色长豆荚中的臭豆。

This part of the market is dominated by Indonesian and Malay traders, who chop, weigh, slice and wrap goods for their morning customers.

市场的入口地带主要由印尼人和马来人占据，他们砍削、称重、切片、包装，为一大早就来买菜的顾客提供一条龙服务。

Further in, stall holders of Indian, Chinese and occasionally African ethnicity can be spotted.

继续向前走，摊贩的主体变成了印度人和华人，偶尔还能看见几个非洲人。

The pungent smell of dried shrimp signals that you have arrived in the meat and seafood section, where chickens, their legs pointing skywards, share tables with lumps of beef and ruby-colored livers.

干制鱼虾的刺鼻气味，提醒你已经到达肉类和海鲜区。宰好的整鸡双腿朝上，与大块牛肉和紫红色的动物肝脏在案板上并肩排列。

Cattle carcasses hang from hooks as butchers carve off slabs of flesh. Cattle heads, teeth bared menacingly, wait for customers to take them home to flavor their soup.

牲畜的尸体挂在钩子上，需要的时候摊主随时可从上面削下几块鲜肉。白牙森森的牛头凶神恶煞般待在案板上，等顾客将它们买回家炖汤。

As he deftly slices the skin from a cow’s head, Serozudi, an Indonesian man who has been working here for 20 years, says he sells about 15 heads a day, at 120 ringgit, or $38, each.

来自印度尼西亚的商贩塞鲁祖第(Serozudi)一边麻利地切剥牛头上的皮，一边告诉我，他已在这个市场工作了20多年，平均每天卖出15只牛头，每只售价120林吉特，或者38美元。

With water trickling down the concrete aisles (covered shoes are a smart choice), it does not take long to realize why Chow Kit is called a wet market.

看着不断滴到水泥走道上的水滴（最好穿上脚背脚趾都不露在外面的鞋），你会很快明白为什么当地人把秋杰路市场叫做湿货市场。

Down the left side of the main building are stalls selling wholesale goods like toilet plungers and kitchen utensils, spices and nuts and piles of dried chilies in hessian sacks.

主建筑的左侧是批发日用品的摊位，货品有厕所拔子、厨房用具、调料、干果，还有装在麻袋里的大堆干辣椒。

Sticking to the main thoroughfare can help you orient yourself, but pick your way down the side alleys and you will be rewarded with a peek into the production processes that go into creating some Asian favorites, like the tofu at Jason Yeo Kok Hiong’s shop, a family business that has been here for more than 40 years.

只在主通道附近活动会让你方向清晰，不至迷路。但只要踏进远一些的通道，就会觉得这种冒险完全值得——你将有机会亲眼目睹豆腐等亚洲美食的制作过程。詹森·杨国雄(Jason Yeo Kok Hiong)的店铺就是一间做豆腐的家庭式作坊，在这里营业已经40多年。

Inside, steam curls around a man as he scoops huge ladles of boiling soy milk from a vat, pouring it into blue tubs where it is left to settle, before another man pours it into square wooden frames, covers it in cloth and places another plank on top to squeeze out the water. Later, the tofu will be delivered to restaurants around the city.

豆腐坊内蒸汽缭绕，工作人员先用特大号勺子将滚烫的豆浆从大桶中舀出，再倒入蓝色的盆子里，让豆浆降温冷却。接着，另一名员工将冷却的物质倒入一只方形木框，盖上棉布，再压一块厚木板，将水分挤出并压制成型。最后，做好的豆腐当天会送到城内多家餐馆。

At the back of the building, the market’s only cake stall offers an abundance of Malaysian sweets and deep fried snacks, sold alongside clothing like the baju kurung, the long skirt and long-sleeved top traditionally worn by Malay women, and batik cloths.

在建筑的后半部分，市场内唯一的糕点摊档供应种类丰富的马来西亚糖果和油炸小点心。它的旁边是家服装店，出售马来套裙(baju kurung)和蜡染之类的服装。马来套裙是马来西亚的一种传统女式服装，由长裙和长袖上衣组成。

Loop around to the right and you reach another building, where old men sit at Chinese coffee shops, drinking strong brew and smoking. An elderly noodle maker rests nearby, his morning’s work, wrapped in plastic, on display on trolleys awaiting collection.

向右走一段，就到了另一座建筑。老年人坐在华人开设的咖啡馆里，一边抽烟一边喝着浓咖啡。附近的店铺里，面条师傅正在歇息。一大早就做好的面条用透明塑料裹着，摆在推车里等待购买。

In one of the few signs that modernity has begun seeping into these old alleyways, a stall decorated with Chinese lanterns advertises prepaid Internet deals.

偶尔也有几个招牌提醒我们现代文明已悄然渗入这些古旧的通道。一个装饰着中国灯笼的摊位上，挂着预付费上网服务的广告。

There are no tourists in sight, and many of the traders, like Jinny Chew, are happy to chat, calling out “good morning” as you pass.

市场内看不到旅游者，不少摊主都热情开朗，喜欢和顾客聊天。你走过他们摊位的时候，他们会大声跟你说“早上好”。

Ms. Chew, who sells black beans, dried mushrooms and canned meats from China, soy sauce and gnarly roots of Malaysian ginger, says she is looking forward to the market’s renovation so that it will be a cleaner place to work.

周金妮(Jinny Chew)就是其中的一个。她的摊档出售黑豆、干蘑菇、来自中国的罐装肉类、酱油和奇形怪状的马来西亚生姜。她说她对市场的翻修充满期待，那样她的工作环境会干净一些。

She has been working at a stall called Yee Fatt Heng & Co., which previously belonged to her husband’s grandfather, seven days a week for more than three decades, rising at 4:30 a.m. to reach the market in time to prepare for her first customers.

她所在的店铺“余发兴公司”(Yee Fatt Heng & Co.)是她丈夫从爷爷那里继承而来的。她每周工作七天，已经在这里工作了30多年。每天早上她四点半起床，然后赶到店铺，迎接当天的第一批顾客。

The shop has helped Ms. Chew, 60, give her three children university educations, but she said she did not want them to take over the family business.

今年60岁的周女士凭借这家店铺的收入，支付了三名子女大学学费。但她不希望孩子们接管家族的生意。

“It’s very tough in the market life,” she said in English. “I’ve got no chance to sleep in the morning, I don’t have holidays. I don’t have time to rest.”

“做小买卖的生活很苦。”她用英语说道。“每天早上还没睡够我就得起床，而且从来没有假期。根本没有时间休息。”

Ms. Chew says fewer customers visit the market these days, preferring to visit shopping centers where the parking is easier, but she is hopeful that the redevelopment may draw back some customers.

周女士说，这几年愿意来市场购物的顾客越来越少了，他们更喜欢去大型购物中心，因为那里停车方便。但她希望，市场翻新以后能将部分顾客拉回来。

Further down the aisle, Khairul Iskandar, 40, is not prepared to wait for customers to come to him. He has started a Web site to sell his roots, limes and flowers, used in traditional Malay medicine.

但通道另一边的卡鲁尔·伊斯干达(Khairul Iskandar)却并不指望太多顾客造访。卡鲁尔今年40岁，他在网上开了家店铺，出售马来西亚传统医药所需的植物根茎、柠檬和鲜花。

He says traders need to cater to the shopping preferences of young Malaysians, as well as their older clientele.“They don’t want to come here,” he said. “They just want to see the item on the Internet. They order online.” And then he delivers.

他说生意人除了服务老顾客以外，也必须迎合年轻一代马来人的购物喜好。“他们不想亲自跑到市场。”他说：“他们只需在网上看看货物的照片，就直接下订单。”然后他就将货物送到顾客的家门。

来源：好英语网