Southeast Asia's traditional markets hold their own

SINGAPORE -- "Yes, hello, fruits?" Shouting above the din, vendor Sini Mohamad leans forward into a conga line of office workers edging between dozens of lavishly provisioned stalls in Singapore's Tekka Market.

It is lunchtime, and crowds throng the market as dozens of hawker stalls dish out noodles, rice and curries. Most ignore Mohamad's appeals. But he keeps at it, alongside stallholders selling meat, fish, vegetables and spices.