There is always a story to tell about the market on a Friday and today it is all about fun. This whole 50th birthday thing seems to have taken over even my Friday market trip as everywhere I went people said happy birthday. At Vegas, the chicken stall, the bloke gave me a free insulated bag and a little jar of Thai sauce to go with the chicken shasliks I bought for the party....At Wilson's it was pumping and full of all the regulars and was like a party already! Final details for James and his fruit cocktails, checking with Victoria that the food was happening with her boyfriend Jarrod, giving the address to Angela and talking to Daphne about that post I wrote about her garden and how much she and her family liked the printout I gave her.
Tony Scarfo was there at Wilson's too, delivering his vegetables and showing me how the female shape had developed voluptuously for his fennel. People of Italian background see things in a nice kind of way, I think! I ran my hand over a barrow load of his gorgeous broccoli and asked him how he could part with them as they were so divinely shaped and fully grown and deep, deep green.... We talked about all sorts of things as usual, before the crush of incoming customers separarted us and he drifted off to get more stuff from his barrow, outside the door.
Where else would I find so many lovely, friendly, happy, quirky, crazy people gathered together in the pursuit of growing, selling and buying fresh, local, organic food? This is a place of inspiration, joy and understanding and what I want to know is why life in our cities isn't packed to overflowing with experiences like this because it sure is working in this tiny shop where local and organic are mainstream and not expensive and the backyard grower can sell stuff too, like I have sometimes done. Today I bought leeks grown in Plympton...not certified but home-grown, claiming to be natural and looking full-flavoured, robust, fresh and thick. I will take the chance as Angela only buys from the regular customers.... what comes around goes around.
Ting and Tina, two of our newest members who have never met each other but have each read this blog, have discovered the joys of the central market because of all this stuff I write about it and, for me, that is reason enough to keep writing about life in this slow and quirky lane. If you want life and a laugh with your food, immerse yourself in the market and the surrounding shops.
If you like, meet me there on a Friday morning and come and experience it with me..... all I want in return is a coffee at Zuma's at the end!!
Life is good. Get to the market fast and then take it slow.... really slow.
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Kate, as you know, I have a passion for markets. Mine are in south west France and a lovely one in particular which you'll be visiting with me in a few weeks. This market of yours, and the wonderful words you write, fire me up and show me that what I see happening in France is also happening in South Australia, right around the world from me... Markets selling delicious, fresh, local, organic foods at reasonable prices. In France these markets have been through a tough time but a little bird told me that now, everything is going to be all right. So maybe we can find some words to start to patch up the holes...Nice
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