Heavy rain during the night gave us a hot and humid day for our trip to Fortitude Valley and Chinatown - an area I had visited with my mother when it was a run-down inner city collection of multi-racial cafes, bazaars and markets with lots of street crime. Then we used to go to the Valley Bingo which had hundreds of patrons and hence big prizes. She said there was nothing more thrilling than to shout ‘House’ for the £1000 prize! The area has changed! Massive traffic, many new pieces of architecture but not much atmosphere on a Friday morning although it is described as the place to go to be seen, to eat and be entertained at night. Chinatown was a delight! Not as vibrant as Sydney but I could imagine it throbbing at the Chinese New Year last week. I got some bamboo spatulas and chopsticks in the huge Chinese food store. We’ll get some practice in!
We trudged to New Farm looking for the old ethnic market I loved so much but all we found were glossy wine bars with people to match. No Turks, Greeks, Italians, Indians, Chinese et al with their mouth watering cheeses, hams, pastas, salamis, pastries, spices and fabrics. We visited the James Street market, which may have been its successor, but now it caters for a very upmarket clientele. My noisy, atmospheric market has probably been bulldozed for this international Sunday Supplement lifestyle – leather, glass and steel and sterile cabinets of well-washed foodstuffs – all at a price. No bargaining here!
Back to Chinatown for coconut prawns and crispy duck – had to ask for a knife and fork! We are falling off our pedestals and must have one lettuce leaf tonight!
It has all recovered impressively from the floods.