This morning I went to the market. The market is held Fridays through Sundays, from early in the morning to right before noon. I had never gone on a Friday before. It's quite different from the usual weekend days. Fewer stands, and much fewer customers. I had all time in the world to contemplate the offerings: figs, peaches, apricots, nectarines, apples, melons, green beans, potatoes, and berries of all sorts.
Going to the market makes me happy. Good live begins with good food, and the market is full of it. Besides the fruits and vegetables there are also cheeses, meat and sausages, milk and eggs, juices and jams, wine and lots more. Most of it was grown and harvested in France, and some right around the corner.
On the market today, I was a little sad as well. This was very likely my last trip to the market in Grenoble. Next weekend I'll be in Germany for a wedding, and after that I might do my grocery shopping at the Whole Foods market on Kensington High Street (an American chain trying to sell good food in Europe – a decidedly weird concept, one that would certainly not work in France and probably not in Germany either, though it might in the UK) or with the immigrants on Uxbridge Road. Both might be nice but won't compare to the acres of freshness that I have here.
The emotional roller coaster will continue tonight when I have people over to celebrate my farewell and my upcoming birthday. Two home-made cakes have been promised, together with lots of wine and beer and the inevitable baba ghannoush. It will be good to have my friends around, but it will also be sad to know that it will be the last time. Happy sadness, or something.
3 comments:
argh
whole foods.
I have never been. I am trying not to go. Maybe it's snobby of me--like reverse snobbery sort of.
So you think it's too fancy? It's a rip-off? It's all show and no content?
When I lived in the US, I had to go from time to time to buy the good food I was missing. But it's oh so expensive.
I don't know. I haven't been yet. I read in an Economics book that the prices are actually comparable with/better than local supermarkets if you are buying everyday normal things like orange juice, potatos, whole wheat bread. It gets expensive when you start buying hard-to-get products like turtle eggs or something. I guess I ought to try it and see if I like it or not.
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