Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market

The transformation that takes over this place by Waterloo Road is truly amazing. During the day I’ve walked by the closed stores and have taken many a photo of the colored graffiti that covers each shutter. Each door has their very own unique art piece, usually related to fruit. I’ve even walked through its labyrinth of dark corridors with nothing but a few stray cats to keep me company. But it’s not during the day that this place is special. At around eleven at night the shutters open, the lights turn on and the people come out ready to begin work. The streets are crammed with crates leaving only a snaking path for vehicles to navigate by and even less room for the pedestrian — which just adds to the fun in my opinion!
Fruit is everywhere. If you wanted to play that fruit slicing game but in real life this would be the place to do it. I’ve tried it and it’s surprisingly fun and empowering. And it’s not just the boring fruit like apples and bananas, it’s all the exotic ones as well! I don’t know about you but I like to start my day with a homemade fruit smoothie or fruit salad and for me there are two essential ingredients, mangos and blueberries. More for taste than health issues. It’s not always possible to find them in the supermarket but in this block of fruit merchants you’ll have your pick, and for a cheaper price. Win win! Primarily the shops are there for mass sale to other companies yet because of its openness to the public they each sell the individual melon, dragon fruit, or mango without a fuss. Oh and did I mention they sell eat-​on-​the-​day avocados? They do. Until about 4am (Maybe later but I’ve never gotten home from a night out later than that while living in Yau Ma Tei) the shops are open for a healthy alternative to a lamb kebab or pizza slice, or anything that isn’t healthy. If you go be sure to walk into the middle of the complex via Canton Road, there’s an elderly lady with a memory like an elephant — that or she likes to hand out ripe avocados to every Caucasian that walks by.