Night-it-up: the Asian Night market in Markham

Armed with fun memories of night markets many years ago in Hong Kong and Bangkok, we set off for Markham for the annual Asian night market to see how it would compare. We also brought our appetites with us in hopes of satisfying our hunger with some street food!

When we finally found parking (a long walk from the Markham civic centre), we approached the night market at the side where NBA courts and other sports zones were set up. Then, we were greeted by the aroma of stinky tofu—at least that was what we hoped we smelled since we were also passing near the port-a-potties. There were long line ups in some stalls, some of which no longer got to try (like the oyster cakes which looked absolutely delicious!). We started our food fest with some bon bon chicken on sticks with sesame ($3/stick). We wolfed this down and then promptly lined up for some BBQ lamb (3 sticks for $5) while the girls had some ice cream.

bon bon chicken

While Hubby and the girls sat down to eat roasted corn, grandma and I continued checking out the other food stalls. I lined up about 10-15 minutes for some takoyaki (Japanese dumplings made of batter and diced octopus cooked in cast iron pans with half-sphere molds) topped with mayonnaise and seaweed powder. It was yummy and filling, with six balls costing $5. The girls didn’t really care for them, but hubby and I were happy enough to eat their left-overs.

takoyaki

We saw quite a few people walking around drinking fresh juice served inside the actual watermelon or pineapple. We tried out both drinks, but opted for the easier-to-manage (albeit less fancy and sans tiny umbrellas) plastic cups. As we ate, a number of musicians performed on the stage. I caught a belly-dancing number. The sight of the flat belly of the dancer, though, made me stay away from all the desserts that night—we all know they go straight to where we do not want them to go.

There were only a few retail stalls.  This aspect is what made my memories of Hong Kong and Bangkok night markets different.  In both HK and Bangkok, I mostly went to merchandise stalls and not really food stalls. Retail therapy versus food therapy.  Each potentially offered a lot of fun, and your happiness just depended on what you set out to do.

At the end of it, we couldn’t even begin to describe how we smelled—smoke, sweat, grill, smelly tofu. All we know is that the food was yummy, the night market was fun and that it was time for a bath.