The Fish Market

Through the car window, an eight-year old girl eagerly tries to look inside of a different version of a zoo, the fish market. As her mom is parking the car, Erin takes a deep breath and knows they are at the dish market because the air is much fresher, and the breeze carries a slight fish odor, which reminds her of the sea. They walk across the huge parking lot, looking around. All colors of cars are parked gleaming in the sunlight. People are walking busily with their hands full of black plastic bags. Her excitement builds as the noise grows, as the inside of fish market clearly comes into her sight. The market is not in one huge building; it is an open area where there are assemblies of one-story buildings with long tables and kiosks in front of them. The shops are joined like townhouses, but they are open in the front.

Erin and Ben

In the jungle with... Erin & Snuggles

The fish market in Sydney Chinatown.

A shutter is pulled down like a garage door when a store closes. The shops are arranged in long rows with intersecting walkways, and they place their hands over their eyes to protect them from the direct sunlight. Sellers shout to advertise their goods, and many buyers curiously head toward them. Buyers give more attention to the louder sellers. However, Erin doesn't seem to notice anything but the fish.

Many kinds of different-looking fish are displayed on through wooden shelves. All of themselves are low and tilted so that even every short child can see what is on them. Erin's mom goes to one section where fish are lying sideways, organized by typw, on top of clear gemstone-like ice pebbles; all the heads are to the right and all the tails to the left. Some fish have bluish backs; some pinfish yellow and some are...