Natural dyes

I posted a photo of persimmon-dyed cloth drying in the grass on the route of Olle 17, and here are some examples of the final product in the Jeju 5-day market. These are clothes that are often seen on local people and the cloth can be somewhat coarse, designed to last when worn by the working man or woman. They’re not all working clothes – on some, the cloth is finer, the cut more careful and details have been added that make them really quite stylish.

Hot cakes

This is Jeju 5-day market earlier today, located in Jeju City and the biggest on Jeju. There are stalls selling snacks to the market customers and there’s something for all tastes – sweet or savoury, hot or cold; you can watch a pancake being prepared for you or fill a basket with different cookies to take away. We had the tempura vegetables from the stall in the photo at the bottom, but didn’t try the tempura chillies. It’s all delicious and a few thousand Korean Won will buy more than enough.

Hallim 5-day market

Lunch today was in Hallim 5-day market, in the stall in the photo above. You can’t afford to get too sticky on hygiene but the bibimbap tasted delicious.

Hallim is smaller than other 5-day markets I’ve been to but the same ingredients apply: piles of fruit and vegetables, fish and meat, a section with fake branded clothing, some hardware and plant stalls, and elderly and bent folk, many of them women, manning the stalls.

Daejeong five-day market

Another Sunday, another market. This time it was Daejeong five-day market in Museulpo, in search of something to plant in the garden.

We bought some battered sweet potato from the lady in the photo below and ate them at a low table next to the stall.

Elderly ladies, like the two in the photos below, are a feature of all such markets. It would be so interesting to know their stories.

Fish in Seogwipo 5-day market

You can’t go far wrong with some photos of fish in a market. These were taken at today’s Seogwipo 5-day market and are a reminder of just how many different kinds of fish are caught in the waters around Jeju and are available for the table. Some of the fish laid out on one table were still moving.

 

Seogwipo 5-day market

It’s raining. It has been all day so here are some photos from Seogwipo 5-day market, which is a large covered market that sells all sorts of things. I don’t think the photos need any explanation, other than the top one, which is of a row of jackets on hangers – I liked the colours.

Jeju 5-day market

A market is always a safe bet for some good photos. This is Jeju 5-day market, which happens every five days in Jeju City. There are 5-day markets in lots of locations around the island (and maybe beyond – I don’t know).

A lot of the market is for food – fruit and vegetables, fish and meat – but there are plenty of other things as well. We didn’t buy any of the many kinds of fish, or the squid or the cuttlefish; we didn’t buy the chrysalises or the pigs ears or chicken feet; we weren’t tempted by the puppies or kittens; we’ve already got some kimchi in the fridge so didn’t go for the pickled vegetables.

However, we did buy a trowel for 2000 Won (just over £1) and a little tangerine tree for 9000 Won (about £6), which is now planted in the garden. We also bought a small pot of rosemary, and a pot-plant (chrysanthemum?) which is now on our doorstep.