Market Friends & Foes
>> Saturday, 11 September 2010
When I was young I never liked going to the market. Yet, my mom would send me to the market every week; for me it was a form of punishment. The vendors were my major source of distress. Because I was young, they took advantage of me by giving me substandard items thinking that I did not know better. I'd go home and my mother would lecture me! I felt trapped - bullied by market vendors and being scolded by my mom for things I had no control over. Continue reading the column. Do I like going to the market now? Find out.
Here are some photographs of various market scenes in Guyana and Barbados.
This week on ABOUT.COM: find out the Top 10 Essential West Indian Ingredients you should stock if you want to cook Caribbean food.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend.
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26 comments:
A beautiful market! You must have hated it and I can imagine how bad you felt...
Cheers,
Rosa
I miss that kind of market. Fresh fresh tropical goodies :)
Yeah... you're so lucky to be able to go to the fresh open market.
Perhaps one day you can take me on a market tour in B'dos and Georgetown.
Oh, I hated, hated, hated going to the grocery store -- I felt like everyone was staring at me and I was terrified that I wouldn't be given correct change and would be too shy and scared to argue. I don't fear that anymore, having much better match skills (at long last), but I do prefer to drag D. with me to the store so I have someone with whom to chat! Outdoor markets such as this, though, I could handle happily. Reminds me of the good Farmer's Markets from home - gorgeous.
(Also: The little old ladies have such great hats!)
I was the one who dragged my parents to our local farmers markets when I was a child.So shattering to be taken advantage of by these same vendors who take pride in what they have to offer.
I love your stories. And the pictures of the markets are amazing. They look so vibrant!
When I lived in Madrid, you weren't allowed to even TOUCH the fruit and vegetables. The vendor picked them out for you. They would get all snippy if you said you wanted a different one of whatever it was. But the ones I got to know were delightful and loved my kids and I actually cried when I said goodbye to them.
I guess it is easy to bully a young girl. It happens to most of us :(
I liked the way u stood firm when buying the bitter gourd and onions :) Imagine saying 'don't pick out all the good ones'! Cheek!
LOVED the pictures. It's a beautiful market.
Love the vibrant colors of the different markets. I bet you love going there now. I could not reach any of you rlinks, says it is unavailable!!
Lovely pix, Cynthia, what are those red flowers in that last but one picture?
I used to hate going to the markets, that's before I started cooking. Now, I love it.
For some reason, I have not been able to access your blog for a very long time now.
This is a nice post with lots of lovely pictures. I love going to the market....love the feel of the place and the sight of all those fresh fruits and veggies makes me happy.
I used to hate going to the supermarket as well, but now it's one of my favorite things to do! This market is so gorgeous!
Fun pictures of the market!
I still do not like going to the market back home in India, becoz you have ot be really smart and grab the best of veggies from competiting buyers, weigh the produce and then haggle with the vendors to get the best price. So I prefer the supermarkets here in the US where I don't have to bother abt all that. But despite the hassles of Indian markets I still miss them because the produce was always fresh and local!
I did not like fish markets as a child too :-)
Loved the pics
What a gorgeous market! I love going to the markets now and wish we had one this beautiful. I'm new here and really enjoyed reading your post!!!
I love markets! It's where the the true locals go isnt it?
I hated going to markets too when I was a child but it has changed:)) Love the market pictures. When I was in Azerbaijan, there was a travel TV program on one local channel and it was about Barbados. I immediately thought of you and thought that I learned quite a few things about that beautiful place from your blog. So, thank you for that!
I have always loved the markets - especially farmers markets - this one looks fabulous!
I always love to go markets I would be surely love to go to these international & colourful markets!
The fish looks great & so fresh too!
Thanks for sharing these stunning pictures!
@sra, the red flower is a fragant fruit called Sorrel. The red fruit is normally used to make a local drink and I recently discovered that the African cook and eat the leaves of the plant much like a spinach....HTH
beautiful market scenes... enjoyed a slice of your life.
What a nice story. I love going to my local farmers market. There is one that is a few blocks from where I live, and I pick up olive oil and other food items. Some times I go just to get some sun.
Boy, does this sound familiar. I was a very shy and extremely polite child. Of course, the retailers took advantage of me, too. Now, I take no prisoners, but in an extremely polite manner. ; )
That's a beautiful market. I love to roam around these open-air places.
I would love going to the markets, but never alone. I would go to the fresh and fish market with my grandma and loved every bit of it. Did quite a bit of grocery (not fresh) by myself for which I never cared or minded. I do miss visiting the open markets here and your pictures remind me of home.
So glad you wrote this post/article-- I really enjoyed reading the stories!
xo,
Jen
I love you blog and am going to post a link back to the markets page. We are starting to have a much more robust farmer's market system in the States, in part because Americans are reaching for a healthier future for their families.
Thank you for blogging!
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