Sunday, The Market Day for Traditional Food in Port Moresby

MALAORO (PORT MORESBY) - Sunday is a very special day in Papua New Guinea for two reasons. The first and the most obvious is that it is a day for Church.  As most Papua New Guineans are Christians, it is generally a day of prayer.  There are those who do not go to church regularly but nonetheless treat this or at the very least acknowledge it as a holy day.

But there is also another reason and that is – market day or a day to have some traditional food or kaikai.

The market is a very busy place on a Sunday as people head over to the market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and fish.  Most families like to have a special Sunday lunch consisting of garden food cooked the PNG way.

There are tthree main markets in PNG and these are the Gordons Market, Kiko Market and the Malaoro Market.

The Koki Market is in Koki which is on the edge of the sea between Badili and Town.  Malaoro Market on the other hand is located near Korobosea.  Gordons Market is as the name says is on the edge of the Gordons Suburb close to the airport.

Koki used to be the most popular market until recent times when Malaoro has taken over.  Koki used to be a vibrant market given its proximity to the sea as fishermen brought in their catches to sell any time of the day but Sunday was definitely a busy day.  The activity has somewhat died down as most people started heading to Malaoro to market.  One of the reasons for this might be due to security reasons as there has been an increase in criminal activity in Koki.

But Malaoro, although with its own security issues, is nonetheless a vibrant market with a huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.  So vibrant it is, other street sellers selling electrical items have also set-up their stall there.

As far as protein is concerned, there is fish galore.  Wallabies, mud-crabs and chicken are also sold there and it is not surprising that some restaurants in town make daily visits there for their menu requirements.

If you ever want to go to the market to see what’s there, it is better to go in the mornings and go with someone who knows his or her way around there. [Skerah]